METRO's partner organisation SASH (Support and Advice on Sexual Health), has a Race Religion and Culture focus group. As part of the group's work, our Dahlia Ghassan (from METRO) and Ella Frost (from Naz) have created a film about prostate cancer awareness.
Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in the UK, and the most common type of cancer among men. With a prevalence of 1 in 4, men with African and/or Caribbean heritage are twice as likely to develop prostate cancer during their lifetime, compared with the overall male population. They are also twice as likely to die from the disease.
In most cases, those with prostate cancer diagnoses will survive for 10 years or more, but there are 10,000 men every year who are diagnosed too late for a cure. A disease that often has no symptoms in the early stages, it is imperative for men to be aware of prostate cancer and have discussions with their GP.
To create the film, SASH interviewed seven men and women with African, Caribbean and mixed heritages, asking what needs to happen to increase prostate cancer awareness and improve confidence to seek healthcare services.
SASH have also produced a downloadable symptom tracker for practical use for AMAB people to track reproductive health symptoms.