Key Presentations at ASCO 2021 Review Primary Prevention of Prostate Cancer in African American Men

At the 2021 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting, CancerNetwork® spoke with Edmund Qiao, a fourth-year medical student from University of California San Diego and lead author of a study about prostate cancer prevention in African American men.

Given that African American men are more likely to be diagnosed with lethal prostate cancer at a younger age compared to non-Hispanic White men, the study aimed to determine interventional measures that may combat health disparities in this population. The study encompassed over 4000 men with a median age of 51.8 years and showed that increased intensity of prostate-specific antigen screening led to earlier detection and potential improvement in outcomes for younger African American men. 

Transcript:

This study emphasizes the importance of primary prevention of prostate cancer. We focus on the prostate-specific antigen screening for the basis of the presentation. One fact of our models is that we do include [primary care provider (PCP)]–utilization rates as well, [which is] basically a measure of how frequently a patient goes to the PCP. We did find that those were also significantly associated with a reduced risk of all of our end points. Taking [that] into context with the PSA screening, we feel that primary prevention of prostate cancer comes through primary care visits and just continuity of care. In terms of where [to] start, the primary prevention of prostate cancer is a very important aspect of the overall care.

References

Qiao E, Kotha N, Nalawade V, et al. Association of increased intensity of prostate-specific antigen screening in younger African American men with improved prostate cancer outcomes. J Clin Oncol. 2021;39(suppl 15):5004. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2021.39.15_suppl.5004