SC AMEN Program: Prostate Cancer Screening for African American Men 

Prostate cancer burden in African American men

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and second leading cause of cancer death among African American men in South Carolina. The incidence rate of prostate cancer in African American men in South Carolina is almost two times higher than the incidence rate in white men. The prostate cancer death rate is almost three times higher among African American men than among white men in the state. Overall, South Carolina ranks 24th in the nation for prostate cancer incidence and 12th for prostate cancer deaths.

 

Addressing the Problem

The SC AMEN Program achieves its goals through the following:

Education

Deliver a monthly prostate cancer education session to 15–20 African American men (per session) to focus on prostate cancer screening uptake.

Navigation

Provide navigation services for the participants in each of the educational sessions to address barriers related to prostate cancer screening.

Follow-Up

Administer a follow-up survey to each participant to assess prostate cancer screening rates among participants following the education session.

The work in this high-impact program goes far beyond prostate cancer screening. It also guides the development and implementation of cancer prevention, control, and treatment strategies focused specifically on African American men, which will ultimately create a framework for improving health outcomes among multiple groups whose health care needs are not being met.

 

Let’s Connect

For more information about the SC AMEN Program, please contact Melanie Slan at slan@musc.edu or 843-876-2427.