Help for black men with prostate cancer
A hospital trust has launched a dedicated group for black men coping with the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer to help combat the increased risk they face.
One in eight men will get prostate cancer, but it’s even more common in black men, with one in four getting the disease.
The National Cancer Patient Experience Survey suggests that while experience of care is generally positive, black patients have a poorer experience across a number of areas, including support received following diagnosis.
The Brother to Brother, Man to Man group was set up by Guy’s and St Thomas’ and the South East London Cancer Alliance (SELCA), to address this and improve support for black men with prostate cancer. The project is funded by SELCA.
Jonah Rusere is a urology advanced nurse practitioner at Guy’s and St Thomas’ and runs the group with Amelia Barber, Grace Zisengwe and Prince Sanyang.
He said: “A lot of the prostate cancer patients we see are black men but we weren’t seeing them in any of our existing support groups.
“When we started asking why, the feedback we got from our black patients was about the importance of being able to talk to patients from similar communities going through similar experiences.”
The group was launched in September 2021 and has hosted talks from specialists about subjects including erectile function, sex and intimacy in the context of prostate cancer. It meets once a month and also welcomes partners, family members and carers.
You can check your risk with Prostate Cancer UK’s online risk checker.
Pictured top: Jonah Rusere (Picture: Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust)
Everyone at the South London Press thanks you for your continued support.
Former Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick has encouraged everyone in the country who can afford to do so to buy a newspaper, and told the Downing Street press briefing:
“A FREE COUNTRY NEEDS A FREE PRESS, AND THE NEWSPAPERS OF OUR COUNTRY ARE UNDER SIGNIFICANT FINANCIAL PRESSURE”
If you can afford to do so, we would be so grateful if you can make a donation which will allow us to continue to bring stories to you, both in print and online. Or please make cheques payable to “MSI Media Limited” and send by post to South London Press, Unit 112, 160 Bromley Road, Catford, London SE6 2NZ
