Prostate cancer in the BAME community and Cancer Black Care
Written by:Professor Francis Chinegwundoh MBE is a consultant urologist who is actively involved in supporting prostate cancer patients in the BAME (black, Asian and minority ethnic) community as a specialist in the condition and as chairman of the charity Cancer Black Care. In this article, he explains how he became aware of the higher incidence of prostate cancer in black men and explains how Cancer Black Care provides support.
How did your interest in prostate cancer care in the BAME community begin?
My interest in prostate cancer in black men in the UK started when I was a newly arrived consultant urologist at Barts Health NHS Trust in 1996. More black men than I expected presented to my clinic with prostate cancer and this is what led me to question the incidence of prostate cancer in the BAME community. After conducting research on the issue, I published the first UK paper showing that black men were two to three times more likely to develop prostate cancer than white men.
Can you tell us about the charity Cancer Black Care of which you are Chairman??
Cancer Black Care (CBC) is a registered charity whose raison d’etre is to support BAME cancer sufferers, but it also supports people of all ethnicities. Since 1998, I have been chairman of CBC, which is based in Brent, North West London. With its small staff and volunteers, it supports cancer sufferers by running numerous services including:
- Support groups
- Befriending
- Advocacy with the statutory services
- Counselling
- Help with financial matters
CBC also runs an annual coach trip to the seaside to bring clients and their families together and is the voice of the community on advisory bodies such as the Bowel Screening Advisory Committee.
What would you like to see happen in the future for Cancer Black Care?
Funding is always a challenge. Currently, the financial landscape is such that we will have to downsize. However, I would like to be in a position where we have drop-in branches throughout London. With these, clients can receive direct support.
To receive the utmost quality urological care from Professor Chinegwundoh, visit his profile and book a face-to-face or online consultation.
