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Black men more likely to get prostate cancer younger, have advanced disease when diagnosed

O.J. Simpson dies at 76 after being treated for prostate cancer

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – He went from being a football hero to a murder suspect. O.J. Simpson died at the age of 76 after a battle with cancer.

The former professional football star, who was acquitted of murdering his former wife and her friend, reportedly was being treated for prostate cancer.

In May 2023 Simpson posted on “X,” which was known as Twitter then, that he recently “caught cancer” and had to do the whole chemo thing. He added, “It looks like I beat it.” Then in February of this year, it was revealed Simpson was getting chemo for prostate cancer.

On The Morning Show, Dr. Ali Kasraeian, a fellowship-trained urologist with Kasraeian Urology, said with early stage prostate cancer, almost 100% will survive five years or more.

But men with advanced prostate cancer or if it spreads to other regions, the survival rate is less.

Kasraeian says early screening is key to successfully treating prostate

Unfortunately, research shows that Black men are less likely to receive prostate cancer screening than white men.

Like many other types of cancer, prostate cancer has a significant impact on Black communities. The numbers shine a harsh light on racial disparities.

Prostate cancer makes up roughly 37% of all newly diagnosed cancer cases in Black men. Black men get prostate cancer at a younger age than men from other groups, and they are more likely to have advanced disease when they are diagnosed.


About the Author
Bruce Hamilton headshot

This Emmy Award-winning television, radio and newspaper journalist has anchored The Morning Show for 18 years.

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