Black males are much less more likely to obtain the very best remedies for prostate most cancers

By Robert Preidt
HealthDay reporter

TUESDAY, June 29, 2021 (HealthDay News) – Black American military veterans with aggressive prostate cancer who would benefit from surgery or radiation are less likely than men of other races to receive these treatments despite having equal access to health care, a new study finds.

“Despite great advances in prostate cancer treatment over the past few decades, racial disparities in care persist and much remains to be done to better understand why this is happening and what we can do to finally fill the gap,” said the lead researcher Dr. Danil Makarov, a urological surgeon at NYU Langone’s Perl Mother Cancer Center in New York City.

For the study, the researchers analyzed the medical records of more than 35,000 men treated for prostate cancer by the U.S. Veterans’ Health Administration from 2011 to 2017. Most were over 60 years old and had no other serious health problems.

Investigators found that black patients were 5% more likely to receive radiation or surgery than other patients, and patients of all races who were likely to benefit from the treatments were 40% more likely to receive them than those who didn’t.

But black men who were most likely to benefit from surgery or radiation (those with aggressive prostate cancer who were otherwise healthy) were 11% less likely to receive the treatments than other men of similar age and cancer severity, the researchers said in a NYU press release.

The results were published online on June 29 in the journal Cancer.

The study co-investigator Dr. Joseph Ravenell, said, “Our study suggests, for reasons as yet unclear, that black men in need of treatment may opt out of the most beneficial prostate cancer therapies (which are often more invasive) or that such ‘high’ benefit treatments will not get them offered as aggressively as non-black patients. ”

Ravenell, assistant dean of diversity affairs and inclusion at NYU Langone, noted that previous studies have shown that some black men may be more concerned than non-black patients about the side effects of aggressive treatments, including the risk of incontinence and erectile dysfunction .

Makarov added, “Our results strongly suggest that patients and physicians should discuss fears, values ​​and preferences when considering all relevant treatment options for prostate cancer.”

The study also confirmed previous research showing that black men were likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer two years earlier than men of other races – and more likely to have more aggressive cancer.

Previous research shows that black prostate cancer patients are three times more likely to die from the disease than non-black patients.

More information

The American Cancer Society has more about prostate cancer.

SOURCE: NYU Langone Health, press release, June 29, 2021