Comparing prostate cancer in the UK and Jamaica
Comparing prostate cancer in the UK and Jamaica
Project keywords: prostate cancer, genetic differences, Black Afro-Caribbean men
Project Overview
Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in men with Black men of African-Caribbean background developing more aggressive types. But Black men are underrepresented in research, meaning we don’t fully understand why this happens or how to best treat it.
This project is about learning how prostate cancer starts and changes over time in Black men. We are working with 200 Black men of African-Caribbean background:
- 100 men in the UK (at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust)
- 100 men in Jamaica (with University of the West Indies)
Although these men live in different places, they share similar ancestry. This helps us understand how genes and lifestyle both play a role.
What will we do?
We will collect small samples from prostate cancer (from surgery) and study them using Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS).
Think of DNA like a recipe book for your body. It tells your cells what to do, just like a recipe tells you how to cook a meal. Cancer happens when parts of this recipe get changed or mixed up. WGS lets us read the whole recipe book from start to finish, not just one page.
WGS lets us read the whole recipe book from start to finish.
This helps us see:
- What changes have happened
- When they happened
- How the cancer has grown over time
The different paths that cancer takes to develop are called “evotypes”.
Lead researcher Dr Aliah Hawari
How can you contribute?
We welcome input from Black Afro-Caribbean men, their family and friends, and charities and support groups. We would like to hear how you feel about the project, and sign up to the programme and donate samples/fill in surveys for the research team to work with.
Donate Samples
If you are interested in donating samples, you will need to fit the following basic criteria initially:
- Be a Black man of Afro-Caribbean heritage with prostate cancer
- Be willing to have a solid tumour (surgery) and blood sample taken, and to fill in questionnaires about your life and lifestyle
- Be willing to speak to the research team if they need more information
Even if you fit this criteria, it may be that you are still not able to join the project, so please be aware of this as you will need to discuss it more with a specialist.
You can use the contact below to discuss specifics, and also how we keep your samples safe, and what happens to you and the samples throughout and after the programme.
No scientific background is required. Lived experience and perspectives are what matter most. You can be involved as much or as little as you like.
Contact information and how to find out more
- Please contact lead researcher Aliah Hawari for more information.
This project is funded by Prostate Cancer Research.
Community Contributions to Research
