A NEW study claims to know why black men are at a greater risk of developing prostate cancer than any other race.

The study, conducted by the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, says that black men have an increased probability of developing prostate cancer because of a ‘risk marker’ that can be found in five per cent of men from African ancestry, but is allegedly rare in other races.

Researchers claim that it is the first study of its kind to reveal a genetic link to prostate cancer and men of African ancestry.

Head of the study’s research team, Christopher Haiman, told Sciencedaily.com: “We have been trying to figure out why African-American men have a greater risk for prostate cancer. These findings may help us better understand if there is a genetic contribution to disparities in risk for this common cancer.”

Haiman also added that this research, which involved 3,425 African-American men with prostate cancer and 3,290 other black males, will help to build on the goal to “locate risk markers that are common or rare but which may play a role in racial and ethnic disease disparities”.

‘These findings may help us better understand if there is a genetic contribution to disparities in risk for this common cancer.’