Abstract B29: African American men never or rarely screened for prostate cancer

Abstract

Abstract Introduction: Prostate cancer is the leading cancer and the second leading cause of cancer deaths among men in the United States. African American (AA) men are at greater risk than Caucasian American (CA) and other men in both incidence and mortality related to prostate cancer. Incidence among AA men is about 60 percent greater and mortality about 240 percent greater than in CA men. AA men also have a greater likelihood of presenting at higher stage and grade with poorer health and other outcomes. Little is known about factors related to AA men who never or are rarely screened for prostate cancer using the DRE and PSA tests. The purpose of this study was to explore prostate cancer screening practices of AA men and to examine demographic characteristics that are associated with AA men who never or are rarely screened. Methods: AA men age 40 or older were asked questions about their knowledge, awareness, and attitudes regarding prostate cancer and prostate cancer screening using DRE and PSA. The study used a convenience sample of 448 AA men 40 years and older residing in the Southeastern U.S. Data were self-reported survey responses and analyzed using SAS. Results: The majority of study participants were married (52%), had some college or technical training (78%), and employed (59%). Over 90% of the AA men had prior knowledge of DRE and 77% were aware of the PSA test. The percentage of AA men who had not had prostate cancer screening in over 5 years or not at all (never or rarely screened) was 33% for DRE and 34% for PSA. Demographic factors related to never or rarely screened for DRE were: being single, younger age, no health insurance, and higher levels of education. Factors related to never or rarely screened for PSA were: younger age, no health insurance, and higher levels of education. Conclusions: Since AA men have greater burden of prostate cancer among men, it is surprising that despite knowledge and awareness of screening and increased levels of education, approximately one-third of the men in this sample had neither a DRE or PSA ever or in 5 or more years. Additional studies are needed to further explore the relationship between prostate cancer knowledge and awareness, education attainment, and prostate cancer screening in AA men. Citation Information: Cancer Prev Res 2010;3(1 Suppl):B29.