AN EVENT will be held in Basingstoke next week to raise awareness of prostate cancer among black men.

The public facing event will be held by Dr Obrey Alexis and Dr William Garbrah at Basingstoke Town Centre on Saturday, February 26.

Both Alexis and Garbrah are lecturers at the department of nursing in Oxford Brookes University.

Alexis said the event in Basingstoke will offer an opportunity for the public to approach them and ask about prostate cancer.

“We want to raise awareness of prostate cancer which is killing a number of black men in the UK,” Alexis said.

"According to Cancer Data [2018] over 12,106 black men are living with prostate cancer in England in 2018. The evidence suggests that one in four black men will have prostate cancer compared to one in eight white men and prostate cancer is the third leading cause of death after heart disease and dementia respectively in black men of African and Caribbean backgrounds.

"In the UK, black men are unaware that they are at an increased risk of developing prostate cancer and therefore the purpose of this initiative is to raise awareness of prostate cancer in black men and in their communities. Moreover, to encourage them to seek early intervention for a disease that is curable if it is caught early.

"We will be available to speak with black men and their families or loved ones or their partners about the risk factors including the signs and symptoms of prostate cancer."

A reader at the Oxford Brookes University, Alexis has also won the Mary Seacole Awards for his efforts in researching black men’s experience of prostate cancer care.

Alexis and Garbrah will be at the Town Centre between 11am and 3pm to answer questions from the public.

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