To investigate racial differences in secondary treatment receipt and mortality after primary treatment for localized prostate cancer.
Approach:
Study Design: Analysis of the Medicare-SEER database involving over 80,000 prostate cancer patients diagnosed between 2004 and 2017.
Key Findings:
Secondary treatment receipt after primary definitive treatment was similar across races.
Black men exhibited higher-risk disease features and had a higher risk of prostate cancer-specific mortality if they did not receive secondary therapy.
Black men were less likely to receive systemic therapy as a secondary treatment.
Interpretation:
Disparities in outcomes among Black men with prostate cancer may be attributed to lower rates of equitable receipt of secondary treatments.
Limitations:
The study did not find evidence of improved treatment resolution through patient navigation.
The analysis may not account for all factors influencing treatment disparities, such as socioeconomic status.
Conclusion:
Future studies should evaluate novel prostate cancer therapies and include detailed genomic and tumor biology information to enhance understanding of treatment disparities.
