Prostate cancer cases are on the rise, making early detection crucial. Recent trends show a significant increase in cases since 2014, with alarming predictions for 2025, especially among African American men. Disparities in survival and mortality rates highlight the need for targeted screening, particularly for younger African American men. The session emphasizes the importance of public engagement to influence future screening recommendations.
Dr. Keith Crawford, Director of Clinical Trials and Patient Education at PHEN, presented on the trends behind prostate cancer cases from 2005-2025 at PHEN’s 21st Annual African American Prostate Cancer Disparity Summit.
“At one time, we had a peak [of prostate cancer cases], and then it dropped in the mid-2000s. The decline was about 40%,” said Dr. Crawford. “And then the annual cases started to increase in about 2014.”
He explained that prostate cancer cases have risen about 3% annually since 2014—over four times the increase seen in breast cancer—with the American Cancer Society projecting an 80% rise by 2025 as compared to 2019.
“This is alarming that there’s an 80% increase in prostate cancer predicted in 2025, and there are groups that predict that we will have double that by the end of 2026,” he emphasized.
Dr. Crawford said he wants people to recognize that when we look at the incidence at age, the incidence rate is extremely high for Black men between the ages of 40-44 (three times as high), and death rates are five times as high for Black men within those age groups.