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A New Technique for Treating Low-risk Prostate Cancer—Super Active Surveillance
Published on: November 7, 2025
Bringing prostate cancer education to deaf men
Sommer R Kaskowitz1, Melanie C Nakaji, Karen L Clark
1UCSD School of Medicine, UCSD School of Medicine's American Sign Language, Deaf Culture, and Cancer Control Program, Rebecca and John Moores UCSD Cancer Center, La Jolla, CA 92093-0658, USA. skaskowitz@ucsd.edu
Prostate cancer education programs adapted for deaf men, particularly those using American Sign Language (ASL), significantly improved knowledge and awareness. This initiative addresses health disparities by providing accessible information on prostate cancer screening and treatment options.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Health Communication
- Cancer Education
Background:
- No existing programs addressed prostate cancer information for deaf men.
- Diverse linguistic abilities and communication preferences pose challenges for health education in this community.
Purpose of the Study:
- To adapt a prostate cancer education program for deaf men.
- To create a universally accessible program for this diverse community.
Main Methods:
- Adapted prostate cancer education program for 121 deaf men.
- Evaluated program effectiveness using surveys and focus groups at baseline, post-test, and 2-month follow-up.
Main Results:
- Significant increase in prostate cancer knowledge and screening awareness post-program, maintained at follow-up.
- Greater knowledge gains observed in participants preferring American Sign Language (ASL) over English-based communication.
- Increased screening among men 50+ was not statistically significant, potentially due to small sample size.
Conclusions:
- Cancer education programs in ASL can reduce health knowledge disparities for the deaf community.
- Clinicians and educators can improve health awareness through tailored programs.
- The program evolved into an accessible ASL video resource: Prostate Cancer: Know Your Options.
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