| Next to skin cancer, prostate cancer is now the | | | | variation between different Asian groups. As an |
| most frequently seen form of cancer in American | | | | example, Japanese-American men were one-third less |
| men and it is predicted that just about 220,000 men | | | | likely to die as a result of prostate cancer, while men |
| in the US will be diagnosed with prostate cancer | | | | from South Asia (including India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, |
| during 2007 and that some 27,000 men will die from | | | | Bangladesh, Pakistan and Bhutan) were forty percent |
| the disease. | | | | more likely to die from the condition. |
| But, as is the case with many diseases, prostate | | | | So just what does this mean? Well, unfortunately the |
| cancer survival rates are not the same around the | | | | answer would seem to be very little. These variations |
| globe and this should provide us with data which will | | | | are undoubtedly large enough to be significant, but |
| permit us to improve our treatment options. | | | | the wide variation between many largely similar |
| A recent study examined data on around 117,000 | | | | groups means that it is virtually impossible to draw |
| men with prostate cancer (just over 108,000 white | | | | any concrete conclusions. Certainly there are a |
| men and nearly 9,000 Asians drawn from the six | | | | variety of things, such as exercise, diet and genetics, |
| largest Asian ethnicities - Korean, Japanese, Filipino, | | | | which are a factor but many of the findings appear |
| Chinese, South Asian and Vietnamese). The study | | | | to be almost contradictory. |
| examined prognostic factors and survival rates for | | | | The result is that, a study which it was hoped would |
| these men. | | | | point to differences between ethic groups which |
| Amongst the various findings of the study it was | | | | would permit us to improve our treatment options |
| seen that the risk profile for Asians was worse than | | | | has actually produced more questions that it has |
| that for whites, with Asian men being more likely to | | | | answered. Actually, aside from exentuating the |
| suffer from advanced prostate cancer at the time of | | | | dangers of drawing conclusions from too large a |
| diagnosis and of being treated with a range of | | | | group, as seen in the wide variation in the figures for |
| non-curative therapies. But, the study also showed | | | | Asian men in general and men from just South Asia, |
| that the survival rates for Asian men were either | | | | the study has shown that the differences were |
| equal to or better than those seen in white men. | | | | larger than most people had thought and therefore |
| These results were particularly surprising when we | | | | suggest that these variations might indeed be more |
| consider that the age at which Asian men are | | | | significant than previously thought. |
| diagnosed with prostate cancer is considerably higher | | | | As things stand, this study does not take us any |
| than that for white men and that their cancer is | | | | further forward but has highlighted the need for |
| normally more advanced, which ought to suggest a | | | | further investigation which will hopefully provide us |
| reduced survival rate. | | | | with better data and allow us to exploit the better |
| When the statistics were examined in greater detail | | | | survival rates in many Asian men in putting together |
| however it was revealed that there was a significant | | | | prostate cancer treatment plans. |