| Next to skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most | | | | between different groups of Asian men. For |
| commonly seen type of cancer in American men and | | | | example, Japanese-American men were one-third less |
| it is estimated that just about 219,000 men in the US | | | | likely to die as a result of prostate cancer, while men |
| alone will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during | | | | from South Asia (including, Nepal, Pakistan, India, Sri |
| 2007 and that just over 27,000 men will die from the | | | | Lanka, Bangladesh and Bhutan) were forty percent |
| disease. | | | | more likely to die from the disease. |
| However, as with many diseases, prostate cancer | | | | So just what does this mean? Well, unfortunately the |
| survival rates are not the same around the globe and | | | | answer would seem to be not a great deal. These |
| this fact should give us the data which will allow us to | | | | variations are certainly big enough to be significant, |
| improve our treatment methods. | | | | but the wide variation between several largely similar |
| In a recent study data was collected on nearly | | | | groups makes it impossible to draw any concrete |
| 117,000 men with prostate cancer (some 108,000 | | | | conclusions. Without doubt there are a variety of |
| white men and nearly 9,000 Asians drawn from the | | | | things, such as diet, exercise and genetics, which are |
| six largest Asian ethnicities - , Korean, Japanese, | | | | a factor but several of the findings appear to be |
| Chinese, Filipino, South Asian and Vietnamese). The | | | | almost contradictory. |
| study looked at both survival rates and prognostic | | | | The result is that, a study which it was hoped would |
| factors amongst these men. | | | | identify differences across ethic groups which would |
| Amongst the various findings of the study it was | | | | allow us to improve prostate cancer treatment has in |
| found that the risk profile for Asian men was worse | | | | fact raised more questions that it has answered. |
| than that for white men, with Asian men being more | | | | Actually, other than pointing to the dangers of |
| likely to have advanced cases of the disease at the | | | | reaching conclusions based upon too large a group, as |
| time of diagnosis and of receiving treatment with a | | | | seen in the wide variation in the figures for Asian |
| variety of non-curative therapies. However, the | | | | men in general and men from just South Asia, the |
| study also showed that the survival rates amongst | | | | study has shown that the differences were greater |
| Asian men were either the same as or better than | | | | than many people had thought and therefore |
| those for white men. | | | | suggest that these variations could indeed be more |
| These results were particularly surprising when we | | | | significant than previously thought. |
| consider that the age at which Asian men are | | | | At the end of the day, this study has not taken us |
| diagnosed with prostate cancer is much higher than | | | | any further forward but it has highlighted the need |
| that for white men and that their cancers are | | | | for more investigation which will hopefully produce |
| normally more advanced, which should clearly suggest | | | | better data and allow us to take advantage of the |
| a reduced survival rate. | | | | better survival rates in many Asian groups in |
| When the data was studied in more detail however it | | | | formulating treatment plans for prostate cancer. |
| was found that there was a very noticeable variation | | | | |