In 2012, the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommended against prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening, despite evidence that Black men are at a higher risk of prostate cancer-specific mortality (PCSM). We evaluated whether Black men of potentially screening-eligible age (55-69 years) are at a disproportionally high risk of poor outcomes.
The SEER database was used to study 390 259 men diagnosed with prostate cancer in the United States between 2004 and 2011. Multivariable logistic regression modeled the association between Black race and stage of presentation, while Fine-Gray competing risks regression modeled the association between Black race and PCSM, both as a function of screening eligibility (age 55-69 years versus not).
Black men were more likely to present with metastatic disease (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 1.65; 1.58-1.72; P < 0.001) and were at a higher risk of PCSM (adjusted hazard ratio [AHR] 1.36; 1.27-1.46; P < 0.001) compared to non-Black men. There were significant interactions between race and PSA-screening eligibility such that Black patients experienced more disproportionate rates of metastatic disease (AOR 1.76; 1.65-1.87 versus 1.55; 1.47-1.65; Pinteraction < 0.001) and PCSM (AHR 1.53; 1.37-1.70 versus 1.25; 1.14-1.37; Pinteraction = 0.01) in the potentially PSA-screening eligible group than in the group not eligible for screening.
Racial disparities in prostate cancer outcome among Black men are significantly worse in PSA-screening eligible populations. These results raise the possibility that Black men could be disproportionately impacted by recommendations to end PSA screening in the United States and suggest that Black race should be included in the updated USPSTF PSA screening guidelines.
Annals of oncology : official journal of the European Society for Medical Oncology. 2017 May 01 [Epub]
B A Mahal, Y-W Chen, V Muralidhar, A R Mahal, T K Choueiri, K E Hoffman, J C Hu, C J Sweeney, J B Yu, F Y Feng, S P Kim, C J Beard, N E Martin, Q-D Trinh, P L Nguyen
Harvard Radiation Oncology Program, Boston., Harvard Medical School, Boston., Department of Therapeutic Radiology/Radiation Oncology, Yale, New Haven., Department of Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston., Department of Urology, Cornell (New York-Presbyterian Hospital), New York., Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor., Department of Urology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine (University Hospitals), Cleveland.