In a review of 526,690 patients who underwent radical prostatectomy for localized prostate cancer, researchers from Vanderbilt University Medical Center found Black patients had significantly higher mortality rates compared to other racial and ethnic groups. Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) had notably lower mortality rates than non-Hispanic whites. Hispanics had slightly lower rates than non-Hispanic whites – despite lower socioeconomic status and significant underinsurance.
The review, published in Cancer, examined clinical and non-clinical factors that might contribute to disparities. “After adjustments for a number of non-clinical factors affecting access to care, the disparity was significantly decreased for Blacks and significantly increased for AAPIs in comparison with non-Hispanic whites,” said first author Wanqing Wen, M.D., a research associate professor of medicine at Vanderbilt.