It’s World Cancer Day. Here’s Why Social Connection Matters For Black Men With Prostate Cancer.
This World Cancer Day Movember is highlighting an urgent but often overlooked inequity in prostate cancer survivorship in the United States: Black men living with prostate cancer face higher stress, poorer well-being, and limited social support after treatment.
Black men in the U.S. are more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer and more likely to die from it. But the disparities don’t stop at diagnosis or treatment. For many Black prostate cancer survivors, the challenges continue long after treatment ends.
Social isolation and loneliness—whether from living alone, limited support networks, or systemic barriers within healthcare—can have serious consequences for physical and mental health. Yet these factors are rarely addressed as part of prostate cancer care.
For Movember, that gap demands action.
Here’s what we’re doing about it
Movember is funding research to better understand and address social isolation and loneliness among Black prostate cancer survivors.
Led by The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, the study will examine how social disconnection affects Black men after prostate cancer treatment and identify culturally relevant strategies to strengthen social support and improve overall well-being.
The research is being conducted in partnership with MD Anderson’s Center for Community-Engaged Translational Research (CCETR) and trusted community organizations in Houston, including Windsor Village United Methodist Church, African American Male Wellness Agency Houston, and 100 Black Men of Metropolitan Houston.
Using a mixed-methods approach, the study will combine longitudinal surveys with in-depth interviews of prostate cancer survivors and community leaders. Researchers will assess social isolation and loneliness alongside physical, psychological, social, cultural, and environmental factors that may influence survivorship experiences.
The goal is not just to document the problem—but to use these insights to inform the development of culturally tailored programs that reduce social isolation, strengthen connection, and improve quality of life for Black men living with prostate cancer.
Why this work matters
Social connection plays a critical role in coping with cancer. Research shows that social isolation and loneliness can be as harmful to health as smoking, obesity, alcohol use, or physical inactivity—yet they remain underrecognized in prostate cancer survivorship care.
For Black men, who already face a greater prostate cancer survivorship burden, addressing social well-being is essential to closing equity gaps in outcomes and quality of life.
By centering community voices and lived experience, this research aims to ensure that future survivorship support reflects the realities of Black men’s lives—and delivers care that is both effective and culturally relevant.
Work like this is made possible by you
For more than two decades, Movember has funded research and programs that tackle prostate cancer inequities around the world. This work is powered by our global community—every conversation started, every stache grown, and every dollar raised.
This World Cancer Day, and throughout Black History Month, we’re reminded that equity in cancer care doesn’t end with treatment. It includes the support, connection, and resources men need to live well after cancer.
Together, we’re working toward a future where no man’s survivorship journey is shaped by inequity—and where all men with prostate cancer have the support they deserve.