Prostate Cancer Screening Among Traditionally Underserved Populations at a Large Public Safety-Net Institution

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Public Health
• Health Disparities Research

Background:

• Existing literature highlights significant racial and sociodemographic disparities in prostate cancer screening (PCS) across the USA.
• These disparities disproportionately affect underserved populations, raising concerns about equitable access to preventative care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether established PCS disparities persist within a specialized health safety-net institution designed to serve traditionally underserved populations.
• To assess the effectiveness of safety-net healthcare models in mitigating known screening inequities.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective cohort study was conducted using electronic health record data from an urban safety-net institution.
• Male patients aged 51-70 years with a primary care provider visit between 2018-2019 were analyzed.
• Prostate cancer screening (PCS) was defined as a Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) blood test; logistic regression analyzed associations between PCS and patient characteristics (race, ethnicity, language, income, mental health, substance use, family history).

Main Results:

• The study included 10,059 men; 40.4% received PCS.
• Black and Hispanic patients demonstrated significantly higher odds of receiving PCS compared to White patients (OR 1.96 and 1.51, respectively).
• Patients with limited English proficiency (LEP) did not show significantly lower screening rates compared to English-speaking patients.

Conclusions:

• The safety-net healthcare institution effectively eliminated traditional racial and sociodemographic disparities in prostate cancer screening.
• This suggests that tailored healthcare models can successfully address and overcome inequities in cancer screening for underserved groups.