Prostate cancer affects East Asian and non-Asian men equally, new study finds

The study, led by Dr. Alexandre Zlotta, Surgical Oncologist and Director of Uro-Oncology at Mount Sinai Hospital, and in partnership with Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, showed that men from East Asia (for example, China, Japan and Korea) are as likely to get aggressive prostate cancer as non-Asian men living in Western countries. These findings go against previously held beliefs that East Asian men have more favorable prostate cancer outcomes compared to non-Asian men.

Dr. Zlotta and his team studied over 8,000 men in Toronto, Shanghai, Paris and Singapore. They looked at how many East Asian men had serious forms of prostate cancer and the cancer progression after surgery, compared to non-East Asian men from Western countries. They found that East Asian men were just as likely to have an aggressive form of prostate cancer as men from Western countries, with no difference in cancer outcomes after surgery.

The study calls for innovative approaches to enhance screening and public health strategies. It also highlights the urgent need to revisit perceptions of prostate cancer in East Asian populations as being less of a concern.

“Prostate cancer in East Asian men should not be dismissed and neglected because they are equally as affected by the disease as men in Western countries,” says Dr. Zlotta. “These findings on prostate cancer – the leading cancer among Canadian men – are particularly relevant given the diversity of our patients in Toronto and the large Asian community we serve.”

The uro-oncology program at the Murray Koffler Urologic Wellness Centre is an internationally renowned program for patients with urologic cancers. For more information, visit our website.