Feb 18, 2025 Story by: Editor
A recent study led by Cedars-Sinai Cancer investigators analyzed data from over 6 million patients in the Veterans Health Administration system and found that Black patients are twice as likely as white patients to develop prostate cancer. The research, published in the peer-reviewed journal JAMA Network Open, also revealed that Black patients diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer face a higher risk of their cancer spreading compared to white patients.
Findings: In this cohort study of more than 6 million US veterans, Black patients had a greater than 2-fold higher risk of PC vs White patients across all disease states. Disease progression risk varied by disease state race and ethnicity, with Black and Hispanic patients having higher progression risks in early states but lower risks in later states.
Meaning: Despite equal access, racial and ethnic disparities persist in PC incidence and progression, highlighting the importance of evaluating these differences across the disease continuum to develop targeted strategies and improve outcomes.
Design, Setting, and Participants This is a retrospective, population-based cohort study of male US veterans aged 40 years and older with known race and ethnicity and no non-PC malignant neoplasm before study entry receiving care through the Veterans Health Administration. The study period was from 2012 to 2020, with follow-up through 2021. To identify active users, data capture included visits 18 months before and after the study period. Data analysis was performed from March to August 2023.
“One of our key findings was that even in a setting such as the VA where patients have equal access to care, Black patients have a much higher burden from prostate cancer than white patients do,” said Stephen Freedland, MD, director of the Center for Integrated Research in Cancer and Lifestyle at Cedars-Sinai Cancer and senior author of the study. Freedland, who also serves as a staff physician at the Durham VA Medical Center, added, “Our findings also point to important racial differences in risk that a patient’s cancer will progress. This information will help spotlight areas for further investigation so that we can identify ways to help reduce the excess burden and death from prostate cancer among Black patients.” Source: Cedars Sinai
