"I want to help other black people, my two sons and grandson” after his dad’s diagnosis, football star Paul Parker joins pioneering study to understand why black men are at higher risk. 

1 in 4 black men in the UK will get prostate cancer. That’s twice the risk for all men, and we don’t know why. Former England and Manchester United footballer, Paul Parker is taking part in a study to help us find out, and he wants other men to join him. 

When Paul Parker heard about PROFILE, a study trying to understand why black men are at higher risk of prostate cancer, he knew he had to get involved. 

57-year-old Paul, who also played for Fulham, Queens Park Rangers and Manchester United, has supported our work for many years. He raised funds at the Football to Amsterdam cycle ride, joined Q&As and has joined two football-themed walking events, including Jeff Stelling’s 2019 March for Men. When Paul’s Dad was diagnosed at 80 with prostate cancer last year, all of this work became even more meaningful. 

“It’s become an even bigger cause for me because of my dad. During lockdown we found out he had prostate cancer, which was a big surprise. Through the bike rides and walks, my involvement was very much sport related. Once my dad was diagnosed, it seemed like one of the few times I got something right, and I felt I was helping him in some way.” 

After his dad’s diagnosis, Paul took a practical approach. He said, “I’m not going to say I was all emotional because I don’t think that’s me. My first thought was I’ve got to speak to somebody to find out more about the disease. I was very fortunate to talk to a Specialist Nurse from Prostate Cancer UK and they were very, very informative. 

They told me everything that was going to happen to my dad, and then told me what could happen depending on how his cancer developed. Everything they said was absolutely spot on and I expected no less. My involvement with Prostate Cancer UK has been so assured, so positive and has made life easier for my dad. I still don’t think he could understand the fact that his son knew so much about it, so I think I surprised him there!” 

“We’re close in our own way, but I think this made us closer, because I was taking him to and from the hospitals for his x-ray, then for his MRIs, and injections. I was able to be there for him. My dad is almost back to normal now. With the age he’s at and what he’s been through, he isn’t going to come out and say how he really is, he’ll just grin and bear it, but mentally he’s a lot better. He’s back to what he was, rather than being in worry mode.” 

“Any black men out there who are fit and healthy, aged between 40 and 69, please come and join PROFILE with me. Just do it. Do it for other black men out there. That’s why I’m doing it. I don’t know who I’m going to be helping, but I know that I’ll help a lot of people.” 

What is PROFILE? 

In 2020, in partnership with Movember, we started funding the PROFILE study, based at the Royal Marsden in London and led by Professor Ros Eeles. It’s the first of its kind in the UK, looking at the genes of men of African and Caribbean descent to try and predict prostate cancer risk and find better ways of diagnosing and treating the disease. 

PROFILE has two branches - the first branch studies the genes of men with a family history of prostate cancer. This branch is full, and no longer accepting new participants. The second, which will study the genes of men of African or Caribbean descent, is still open for new recruits. It will continue to recruit men until March 2022.  

If you are a man of African or Caribbean descent aged 40-69 and haven’t had prostate cancer, you may be suitable to take part in PROFILE.

Paul told us: "Being involved in PROFILE is about helping other black people, but more importantly my two boys and my grandson. I feel quite proud that I’ve gone from jumping on the bike to now getting involved in a study that is going to help black people in the future. I know I’m playing a really big part. I’m looking forward to see how far it goes and what I can give back.” 

“I think a lot more people are aware of prostate cancer. People do talk about it everywhere you turn. Now I think it’s about trying to dig deeper and really get to finding out more about the disease and stopping it. One in four black men will get prostate cancer, that’s double the rate for other men. I want to help find out more about the genetics of the disease, so we can save more people.” 

Get more information about PROFILE.

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