Stage-Specific Racial Disparities in Prostate Cancer Survival Outcomes
In brief
African American men with advanced prostate cancer had higher mortality in both care settings
Among 976 men, survival did not differ by race for Stage 1 or 2 prostate cancer, but African American men with Stage 3 or 4 disease had higher prostate cancer-specific and overall mortality in VA and non-VA settings. Differences persisted after accounting for disease features and treatment; advanced-stage patients were more likely to receive hormone therapy alone, a possible contributor that needs further study.
- Journal
- The Prostate (Q1)
- Published
- 6 October 2026
- Study design
- Case-control study
- Evidence level
- Level 3, Low (CEBM 3b)
- Authors
- Tsion Zewdu Minas, Eboneé Nicole Butler, Samuel Mwakisha Mwamburi, Tiffany H Dorsey, Deepa Bedi, Windy Dean-Colomb, et al.
- PMID
- 42837052
- DOI
- 10.1002/pros.70265
Why clinicians should know about it
- Picked for Urology (paper of the day, 8 October 2026): Excluded – racial disparity analysis, not direct clinical guidance
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Racial disparities in prostate cancer (PCa) survival are inconsistently reported. METHODS: We evaluated long-term survival in 976 men from the NCI-Maryland PCa case-control study, stratified by disease stage. RESULTS: There were no survival differences observed between African American (AA) and European American (EA) men with Stage 1 or 2 disease. In contrast, AA men with Stage 3 or 4 PCa experienced significantly higher prostate cancer-specific and all-cause mortality in equal-access Veterans Affairs (VA) and non-VA settings. Adjustment for baseline prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level, Gleason score, and treatment modalities attenuated but did not eliminate these differences. CONCLUSIONS: Disparate survival outcomes for AA men with PCa emerge mainly at Stage 3 or 4 diagnosis, emphasizing the importance of early detection for these men. Notably, AA patients with advanced-stage disease were more likely to receive hormone therapy alone, a treatment pattern that may contribute to racial disparities in PCa survival.
Abstract as published, via PubMed.
For healthcare professionals. The summary is generated by AI from the published abstract, and the evidence level is assigned automatically from the study design on the Oxford CEBM hierarchy. Neither is medical advice. Read the full paper before changing practice.