Racial/ethnic difference in using brachy monotherapy for localized prostate cancer treatment Free

A64

Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among men in the US. Blacks have the world’s highest prostate cancer incidence and mortality rates. Treatment differences have been observed between black and white men with prostate cancer. Brachy monotherapy (BMT) has become popular in recent years for localized prostate cancer because of its convenience (it can be performed in inpatient or outpatient settings), for being the least invasive and for resulting in better quality of life after treatment. No studies have specifically examined BMT in treating localized prostate cancer by race/ethnicity. This study’s objectives are 1) investigate the use of BMT in treating stage-appropriate prostate cancer over a 10 year period and examine if there is a treatment difference among different racial/ethnic groups and 2) examine characteristics associated with BMT treatment, including patient demographics, health insurance status, tumor grade and treatment facility. Prostate cancer incidence data for 1994-2003 were obtained from the Florida Cancer Data System (FCDS). Patients diagnosed with localized prostate cancer along with their demographics, primary payer at diagnosis, diagnosis (tumor stage) and treatment type were extracted from the database. Logistic regression was performed using SPSS 11.0. The study found that men with the following factors were more likely to receive BMT treatment: Non-hispanic white, married, Medicare recipient or with commerial insurance, with better tumor grade. Non-hispanic blacks were the least likely (29% and 4%) than non-hispanic whites and hispanics, respectively to receive BMT. Patients with no insurance were least likely to receive BMT, compared to others with some type of insurance. As expected, the rate of BMT increased from 1994 through 2003. Surprisingly there was no difference in BMT between rural and urban facilities. However there is a racial/ethnic difference in BMT treatment. Possible reasons for the difference require futher research.