Racial differences in a prostate cancer screening study.

PURPOSE: We attempted to determine whether black men have a higher prostate cancer prevalence and more advanced disease.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

We screened 17,157 white and 804 black men 50 years old or older by serum prostate specific antigen measurement and digital rectal examination. We recommended biopsy when either test was suspicious.

RESULTS

Black men had a higher prevalence of elevated prostate specific antigen (13.1 versus 8.9%) and cancer (5.1 versus 3.2%) than white men, and a higher prevalence of clinically but not pathologically advanced cancer. Fewer black men in lower income zip codes complied with recommendations for biopsy.

CONCLUSIONS

In our screening study black men had a higher prevalence of detectable cancer. However, unlike in clinical studies there was no striking racial difference in advanced cancer stage at diagnosis.