Concerns because blacks are disproportionately affected by cancer

According to previous studies, black men are 60% more likely to have prostate cancer than Caucasian men and more likely to be diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer than men from other racial groups and ethnic.

In addition, the percentage of African-American men who develop prostate cancer during their life between white men is between 15 and 10% and their risk of death by 4 to 2%.

Enugu, a consulting oncologist at the University Hospital of Nigeria (UNTH) and Congress President, Professor Ifeoma Okoye, said that although the black population accounts for about 17% of the world's population (more than one billion Blacks are disproportionately affected by cancer around the world.

Okoye said that because of the disproportionate burden of cancer among blacks, it is important that a significant number of Blacks participate in cancer clinical trials globally.

Unfortunately, she added, the number of Blacks in the world of clinical research remains low, despite ongoing efforts to improve their participation and the under-representation of Blacks in clinical trials continues to worsen disparities in health associated with cancer.

"Unfortunately, overcoming the barriers to successful black recruitment in clinical trials remains a major challenge.
Therefore, it is proposed that the World Congress on Clinical Trials in Black Oncology will attack the under-representation of blacks in clinical trials, "she said.

The oncologist explained: "It is therefore necessary to investigate / identify possible associations between this aggressive disease and gene variants, exposure to environmental stressors such as discrimination, early adversity and segregation; and to understand how the social environment interacts with these genetic changes, and oil the cogs of the burden of prostate cancer among men of African descent so to be able to develop appropriate approaches to prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

"These can only be achieved through clinical trials."

This event is a historic effort to address the global challenges of oncology clinical trials among the black population.
The keynote presentations will be led by world-renowned experts, including the Director General (DG) of the National Agency for the Administration and Control of Food Drugs (NAFDAC), Professor Moji Christianah Adeyeye.

Professor Folakemi Odedina of the University of Florida, United States (USA), is the organizer of the conference.

Prostate cancer is the development of cancer in the prostate, a gland of the male reproductive system. Most prostate cancers have slow growth; however, some grow fast enough.

Cancer cells can spread from the prostate to another part of the body, especially to the bones and lymph nodes. At first, it can not cause any symptoms. At a later stage this can lead to difficulty urinating, blood in the urine or pains in the pelvis, back or urine.

A condition called benign prostatic hyperplasia can produce similar symptoms. Other late symptoms may include a feeling of fatigue due to low levels of red blood cells.

Factors that increase the risk of prostate cancer include age, family history of the disease, and race. About 99% of cases occur in men over 50 years of age.

Having a first-degree relative with the disease increases the risk by two to three times. In the United States, it is more common in the African-American population than in the American white population.

A diet rich in processed meat, red meat or dairy products or low in certain vegetables may also be involved. An association with gonorrhea has been found, but no reason for this relationship has been identified. An increased risk is associated with BRCA mutations.

Prostate cancer is diagnosed by biopsy. Medical imaging can then be performed to determine if the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.

Screening for prostate cancer is controversial. Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) tests increase cancer detection, but the question of whether it improves outcomes is controversial. Informed decision making is recommended for screening in people aged 55 to 69 years.

Tests, if performed, are more reasonable for those with longer life expectancy. Although 5α-reductase inhibitors appear to reduce the risk of low-grade cancer, they do not affect the risk of high-grade cancer and are therefore not recommended for prevention. Vitamin or mineral supplementation does not seem to affect the risk.

Many cases are managed with active surveillance or vigilant waiting. Other treatments may include a combination of surgery, radiotherapy, hormone therapy or chemotherapy. When this occurs only inside the prostate, it can be cured. In individuals with extended bone disease, pain medications, bisphosphonates, and targeted therapy, among others, may be helpful.

The results depend on the age of the person and other health issues, as well as the magnitude and aggressiveness of the cancer. Most men with prostate cancer do not die from this disease.

The 5-year survival rate in the United States is 99%. Globally, it is the second most common type of cancer and the fifth leading cause of cancer death in men.

In 2012, it occurred in 1.1 million men and caused 307,000 deaths. It was the most common cancer in men in 84 countries, and more commonly in developed countries.

Rates have increased in developing countries. Detection increased dramatically in the 1980s and 1990s in many areas due to the increased number of PSA tests. Studies of men who have died from unrelated causes have revealed prostate cancer in 30-70% of people over 60 years of age.

Early prostate cancer usually has no obvious symptoms. Sometimes prostate cancer causes symptoms, often similar to those of diseases such as benign prostatic hyperplasia.

These include frequent urination, nocturia (increased nocturnal urination), difficulty starting and maintaining a steady flow of urine, hematuria (presence of blood in the urine) and dysuria (painful urination). A 1998 US patient care assessment study found that approximately one-third of patients diagnosed with prostate cancer had one or more of these symptoms, while two-thirds had no symptoms.[18]

Prostate cancer is associated with urinary dysfunction when the prostate surrounds the prostatic urethra. The changes in the gland therefore directly affect the urinary function. Because the vas deferens deposits seminal fluid in the urethra of the prostate and the secretions of the prostate itself are included in the sperm, prostate cancer can also cause problems with function and sexual performance such as difficulty in achieving erection or painful ejaculation.

Metastatic prostate cancer that has spread to other parts of the body can cause additional symptoms. The most common symptom is bone pain, often in the vertebrae (bones of the spine), pelvis or ribs. The spread of cancer in other bones, such as the femur, is usually towards the proximal or proximal part of the bone. Prostate cancer in the spine can also compress the spinal cord, causing tingling, leg weakness, and urinary and faecal incontinence.

Risk factors

A complete understanding of the causes of prostate cancer remains elusive. The main risk factors are obesity, age and family history. Prostate cancer is very rare in men under 45, but it becomes more common with age. The average age at diagnosis is 70 years old.

Many men never know that they have prostate cancer. Autopsy studies of Chinese, German, Israeli, Jamaican, Swedish, and Ugandan men who died from other causes revealed prostate cancer in 30% of men in their 50s and 80% of men. men in the decade.

Men whose first-degree family members are diagnosed with prostate cancer appear to have a two-fold higher risk of contracting the disease compared to men without prostate cancer in the family. This risk seems to be greater in men whose brother is affected than in men whose father is affected. In the United States in 2005, there were an estimated 230,000 new cases of prostate cancer and 30,000 deaths from prostate cancer.

Men with high blood pressure are more likely to develop prostate cancer.[25] The risk of prostate cancer is slightly increased due to lack of exercise. A 2010 study found that basal cells of the prostate were the most common site of origin of prostate cancer.

Genetic

Genetic history may contribute to the risk of prostate cancer, as suggested by associations with race, family, and specific gene variants. Men with a first degree relative (father or brother) with prostate cancer are twice as likely to develop prostate cancer, and those with two first degree relatives are at risk five times higher than men without a family history.

In the United States, prostate cancer affects black men more often than white or Hispanic men and is also more deadly among black men. In contrast, incidence and mortality rates among Hispanic men are one-third lower than those of non-Hispanic whites. Studies of twins in Scandinavia suggest that 40% of the risk of prostate cancer can be explained by hereditary factors.

No gene is responsible for prostate cancer; many different genes have been involved. Mutations of BRCA1 and BRCA2, important risk factors for ovarian cancer and breast cancer in women, have also been implicated in prostate cancer.

Other related genes include the hereditary prostate cancer 1 gene (HPC1), the androgen receptor and the vitamin D receptor. The fusion of the TMPRSS2-ETS gene family, particularly TMPRSS2-ERG or TMPRSS2-ETV1 / 4, promotes the growth of cancer cells. These fusions can occur via complex rearrangement chains called chromoplexy.

Two large genome-wide association studies associating single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with prostate cancer were published in 2008. These studies identified several SNPs that significantly affect the risk of cancer of the prostate. prostate. For example, people with a TT allele pair at SNP rs10993994 were at 1.6 times higher risk of prostate cancer than those with the CC allele pair.

This SNP partly explains the increased risk of prostate cancer among African-American men compared to American men of European descent, the C allele being much more common among them; this SNP is located in the promoter region of the MSMB gene and therefore affects the amount of MSMB protein synthesized and secreted by prostate epithelial cells.
Finally, obesity and high levels of testosterone in the blood can increase the risk of prostate cancer.