Raising awareness of prostate cancer risk in black men

THE PROFILE Study: Germline genetic profiling: correlation with targeted prostate cancer screening and treatment

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK. We don’t understand enough about why some men, including black men, are at higher risk.

In the PROFILE study researchers at the Institute of Cancer Research, London are seeking men aged 40 to 69 of either African or Caribbean descent to take part in a study investigating the role genetic testing has in the development of screening programmes for prostate cancer detection.

Making a short video to raise awareness & promote the study

The PROFILE study has so far had difficulty reaching men of African or Caribbean descent to take part.

We met with a group of black men from the target age group to help us plan the making of a 2 – 3 minute video to raise awareness of prostate cancer risk and the study.

The aims of the video:

• Raise awareness of prostate cancer risk among black men in the community aged 40 - 69
• Introduce the PROFILE study & improve recruitment and raise awareness about research

How we made the short film

We held a productive panel discussion with our group in December 2020 and developed innovative ideas for the video which we further refined with their continued involvement. We wanted a video featuring a range of voices and perspectives as suggested by our panellists.

They chose a barber shop setting to ensure that the piece appealed to and engaged with the intended audience. Filming commenced once COVID-19 restrictions were lifted.

The PROFILE study is funded by Prostate Cancer UK