An editorial on a comparison of care quality metrics between Black and White men with advanced prostate cancer in the IRONMAN registry.

Abstract

This editorial highlights key findings from the manuscript entitled "Experience with the US health care system for Black and White patients with advanced prostate cancer" in the Cancer journal. Namely, the Black men and White men recruited in US sites for the International Registry for Men with Advanced Prostate Cancer (IRONMAN) registry reported similar and mainly affirmative responses for health care quality metrics on a survey. In non-National Cancer Institute-designated centers, the care was actually worse for the White participants than for the Black participants. The study's results suggest that clinical trial enrollment may be a way to improve health care quality and eliminate disparities for Black men. Whether this healthcare quality benefit extends beyond the few IRONMAN recruitment sites where Black men were recruited or beyond a few measures of healthcare quality remains to be seen.