The Majority Of Asian Men Demonstrate A Greater Capacity For Surviving Prostate Cancer than White Men

Might the higher survival rate for Asian men lead us to better prostate cancer treatment options.

Next to skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most frequently seen form of cancer in American men and it is predicted that in the region of 219,000 men in the US alone will be diagnosed as having prostate cancer during 2007 and that just over 27,000 men will die from the disease.

But, as is the case with many conditions, prostate cancer survival rates are not the same everywhere and this should give us the data which will allow us to improve our treatment options.

In a recent study data was compiled on around 117,000 men with prostate cancer (some 108,000 white men and almost 9,000 Asians drawn from the six largest Asian ethnicities - , Korean, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, South Asian and Vietnamese). The study examined prognostic factors and survival rates for these men.

Amongst the many findings from the study it was discovered that the risk profile for Asians was worse than that for white men, with Asians being more likely to have advanced prostate cancer by the time of diagnosis and of receiving treatment with a range of non-curative therapies. But, the study also showed that the survival rates for Asian men were either equal to or better than those seen in white men.

These results were somewhat surprising when we consider that the average age at which Asian men are diagnosed as having prostate cancer is far higher than that for white men and that their cancers are normally more advanced, which ought to suggest a lower survival rate.

When the data was examined in greater detail however it was revealed that there was considerable variation between different Asian groups. For example, Japanese-American men were one-third less likely to die from prostate cancer, while men from South Asia (including, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bhutan) were forty percent more likely to die from the condition.

So just what does this mean? Unfortunately the answer would seem to be very little. These differences are clearly big enough to be significant, however the wide variation between several broadly similar groups makes it virtually impossible to draw any real conclusions. Unquestionably there are several things, such as diet, exercise and genetics, which are a factor but several of the findings appear to be almost contradictory.

As a result, a study which it was believed would point to differences between ethic groups which would allow us to improve our treatment options has in fact produced more questions that it has answered. Actually, other than pointing to the dangers of reaching conclusions based upon too broad a group, as witnessed in the wide variation in the figures for Asian men in general and South Asian men, the study has shown that the differences were larger than many people had believed and therefore suggest that these differences could indeed be more significant than previously believed.

As things stand, this study has not taken us any further forward however has at least highlighted the need for more investigation which will hopefully give us better data and permit us to take advantage of the higher survival rates in many Asian men in putting together prostate cancer treatment plans.

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