Knowledge and Understanding Differs Between African American Men and Caucasian Men When Diagnosed with Prostate Cancer

Abstract

Abstract Purpose African American (AA) men are diagnosed with Prostate cancer (PCa) approximately 3 years younger, more often in an advanced stage, and incurable, when compared to Caucasian American (CA) men. We seek to study whether this difference is due to factors related to, stress, lack of knowledge of prostate cancer, race, or the combination of all these factors. Methods A questionnaire was administered to 389 participants (234 CA and 135 AA men) for a possible diagnosis of prostate cancer over 3 years. Quantitative data was collected from patients on demographic status along with their level of knowledge of prostate cancer and anxiety related to their diagnosis and possible treatment. Exact Pearson chi-square tests were used to test the independence between race and various socio-economic factors. Results In this study, for the first time, we investigated whether knowledge of the disease and anxiety following diagnosis and treatment could play a role in the disparity of prostate cancer among AA and CA men. We also confirmed that financial disparities among AA and CA men, with AA having more financial strain. Conclusion Our study showed that lack of knowledge of PCa screening and early detection, and lack of understanding of the diagnosis in combination with increased anxiety among AA patients, can play a role in PCa disparity.