Washington, D.C. has the highest prostate cancer death rate of any state or territory in the country, at 27.5 deaths per 100,000 residents.

The figure, from the American Cancer Society's 2025 prostate cancer report, puts D.C. well ahead of second-place Mississippi at 24.8 deaths per 100,000. Both jurisdictions have large Black populations, and researchers say that connection is no coincidence.

Dr. Robert Brookland, a radiation oncologist with Greater Baltimore Medical Center and past chair of the American Cancer Society, said the cancers may be more aggressive in the Black community and among those from the Caribbean. "70% more likelihood of getting this cancer if you're Black," he told WTOP on Wednesday, Sept. 16.

Nationally, Black men face double the prostate cancer mortality rate and 67% higher incidence compared with white men, according to a 2025 study published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.

One in eight men in the United States will develop prostate cancer. The disease is highly treatable when caught early: the five-year survival rate is about 99% for localized cases but drops to 38% once the cancer has spread to distant sites, according to Cancer Therapy Advisor.

Early screening can close that gap. The American Cancer Society recommends men at average risk begin screening at 50. Black men and those with a family history should start in their 40s. A simple PSA blood test, known as a prostate-specific antigen test, has largely replaced the rectal exam as the primary screening tool, Brookland said.

September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, and several D.C. institutions offer free or low-cost screenings year-round. The George Washington University Cancer Center provides free screenings on the fourth Friday of every month by appointment, NBC Washington reported. Georgetown University's Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Prevention at Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center also offers screening and navigation services.

At Howard University Cancer Center, the Men Take Ten program targets men ages 40 to 75, with a focus on Black men. Clinton Burnside, MPH, a senior outreach coordinator who manages the program, has built partnerships with Black churches, fraternities and community organizations across the region to screen thousands of men. "We've created trusted relationships in the community, and that's what makes the difference," Burnside said in October 2025, speaking to The Dig at Howard University about the program's approach.

D.C. is also among jurisdictions that have enacted no-cost PSA screening laws, according to ZERO Prostate Cancer. The advocacy group holds its annual Run/Walk in Washington on Sept. 27.