Anthony Henry and Willie Underwood III have a lot in common.
Both are Black men whose gene pool originated in West Africa, suggesting higher risks for aggressive prostate cancer. Both of their fathers were diagnosed with prostate cancer. Henry's father was diagnosed at age 64 and died at 68 from prostate cancer, and Underwood's dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer in his early 70s and is still alive at 81.
Both sons were diagnosed with prostate cancer at a young age: Underwood at 48 and Henry at 54.
Underwood in 2012 was diagnosed with a Gleason 3+4, known today as a "favorable" intermediate-risk prostate cancer. He qualified in some protocols for active surveillance (AS), monitoring the disease with prostate-specific antigen (PSA) tests, digital rectal exams, biopsies, and multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging.