Abstract C61: [Advocate Abstract:] PSA Testing: Black Lives Matter - screenings decreases unnecessary deaths

Abstract

Abstract Introduction: The US Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) 2012 recommendation against prostate-specific antigen (PSA)-based screening for prostate cancer has been controversial. If theree are excess deaths among black patients, why abandon the one proven screening test? PSA and Black men: The burden of Prostate Cancer falls disproportionately on African American men; the incidence of prostate cancer is almost 60% higher and the mortality rate is two - three times greater in African American men than in Caucasian men. These disparities can be explained by differences in PSA values, socioeconomic status and transformation rate of prostate cancer in black men vs Caucasian men. Because of the greater tumor cell burden, it has been hypothesized that PSA testing at an earlier age for African American men may allow diagnosis of lower risk prostate cancer, potentially reducing disparities between African American and Caucasian men between the ages of 40 and 54. Solutions: According to various reports, community based interventions in barbershops, community centers and churches have been to shown to significantly increase intention to screen. There is also a groundswell of work done in the last 4 years suggesting that screening with PSA across all groups is actually beneficial (as originally thought) Conclusion: As a patient advocate, it is my job to educate and inform the public by attending scientific seminars and spreading the word in community based interventions about the benefits of screening. There is nothing more valuable than a person's life. Citation Format: Randall Coppin. [Advocate Abstract:] PSA Testing: Black Lives Matter - screenings decreases unnecessary deaths. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Ninth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2016 Sep 25-28; Fort Lauderdale, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2017;26(2 Suppl):Abstract nr C61.