VCU symposium to examine prostate cancer in African Americans

By Erin Lucero
Office of Development, School of Medicine

RICHMOND, Va. —Researchers from around the United States and Canada will participate in a symposium to explore the biological reasons that may explain why African-American men have the highest incidence and mortality rates of prostate cancer in the world. Hosted by Virginia Commonwealth University, the symposium will be held June 3 in the auditorium of VCU’s School of Engineering, 601 W. Main St.

"The incidence rate among African-American men is more than seven times that of Koreans and more than twice that of white men," said symposium organizer Joy L. Ware, Ph.D., professor of pathology and vice-chairman for pathology research at VCU. "Certainly socio-economic factors play a role in that, but up to now researchers haven’t paid enough attention to the biological factors that are also at work."

The scientific meeting will include presentations on prostate cancer research, technology and future directions. An overview of current issues in the field will be provided by Isaac Powell, M.D., an urologist from Wayne State University in Detroit, who is credited with leading the effort to understand the factors affecting prostate cancer’s high incidence in the African-American community.

VCU’s Ware, whose 20-year research career has focused on how prostate cancer progresses and how it travels to other sites in the body, will discuss future directions for research. She also will review findings from a scientific workshop that will take place on June 2.

The June 2 workshop will convene more than 30 leading prostate cancer researchers, representing the fields of epidemiology, genetics, cell biology and pathology. Searching out biologic answers for why African-American men are affected disproportionately by prostate cancer, they will review current research findings, hunting for evidence of differences in genetics, hormones, growth factors and how carcinogens are processed. They will report their findings and their recommendations for what areas require further study to the federal Office of Research on Minority Health. The ORMH leads the National Institutes of Health’s effort to stimulate new research ideas for improving the health status of minority Americans.

According to the National Cancer Institute, while both the incidence and mortality rates of prostate cancer have increased for all men since 1973, they are highest for African-American men, while Asian men and American Indians have the lowest rates. Prostate cancer is the second most frequently diagnosed cancer in U.S. men, behind skin cancer, and accounts for 36 percent of all cancer cases. The American Cancer Society estimates that about 180,400 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed in the United States this year and that 31,900 men in the United States will die from it, making it the second leading cause of cancer death in men.

Both the June 2 workshop and the June 3 symposium are sponsored by the ORMH, with additional support from VCU’s Massey Cancer Center. The registration fee for the June 3 symposium, which includes lunch and dinner, is $125 for faculty researchers and practicing physicians; a discounted fee of $75 is available for students, residents-in-training and post-doctoral fellows. The June 3 presentations are free and open to the public, however participation in lunch or dinner requires pre-registration and a $75 fee. The registration deadline is May 25. For more information, call (804) 828-5092 or e-mail jlware@hsc.vcu.edu.