Abstract B031: Mediating factors for perceived impact of prostate cancer survivors

Purpose: An estimated 29,530 new cases of prostate cancer (PCa) are expected in 2018. It is estimated that 1 in 5 African-American men will be diagnosed with PCa in their lifetime. The overall 5-year relative survival rate for PCa among African Americans is 96%, compared to nearly 100% among whites. PCa patients are living longer and are confronted with increasingly complex therapeutic decisions. Frequently, patients are not fully prepared to appraise their PCa diagnosis and treatment consequences for perceived impact.

Design Methods: The Center for Cancer Research and Therapeutic Development (CCRTD) at Clark Atlanta University (CAU) registered over 468 survivors to the Prostate Cancer Registry (www.pcregistry.cau.edu), an online registry designed to capture the epidemiologic profile, clinical disease information, and data regarding the experiences of PCa survivors throughout the PCa continuum.

Results/Expected Results: General: Participants (n=468) median age was 66 years; 100% male; 63% Caucasian, and 30% African American. 78% reported they were married and 36% attended college. Total annual income: 19% <$25K; 19% <$50K; 18% <$75K and 35% <$100K. 93% were insured when diagnosed. Mediating factors: Based on the Cognitive Health Appraisal Scale, most survivors reported that prostate cancer is not a challenge, they can beat cancer, and expected positive outcomes. Most men disagreed that PCa has damaged their life, identifying a relatively positive mindset to overcoming PCa. Neutral areas, where men tended to not favor or disfavor, were related to stress, functional limitation, and assessing physical harm associated with PCa.

Discussion/Conclusion: Stress and the loss of functionality are areas of cognitive health concern for PCa survivors. Throughout the assessment, there were no “strongly agree” or “strongly disagree” consensuses, which could denote that men do not feel absolution about their cognitive choices. This could be contributed to a multitude of factors that affect cognitive processes throughout the PCa continuum.

Citation Format: Kimberly E. Davis, Antoine Richards, Reginald Gooden. Mediating factors for perceived impact of prostate cancer survivors [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Eleventh AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2018 Nov 2-5; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(6 Suppl):Abstract nr B031.