Sociodemographic Factors Associated With Tissue-based Genomic Testing for Prostate Cancer

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Health Services Research
• Genomics

Background:

• Genomic classifiers (GC) aid in risk stratification for localized prostate cancer (PCa).
• Factors influencing GC adoption in PCa management are not well understood.
• Personalized treatment decisions for PCa can be enhanced by GC testing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between sociodemographic factors and GC testing for localized PCa.
• To identify patient and area-level predictors of GC utilization in PCa care.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of localized PCa patients (2012-2022) who received genomic testing.
• Inclusion of clinical, Area Deprivation Index (ADI), and health insurance data.
• Logistic regression models to assess the relationship between ADI and GC test receipt.

Main Results:

• 40.1% of 2103 eligible patients underwent GC testing.
• Higher GC testing rates were observed in less deprived areas (40.9%) versus most deprived (34.6%).
• Increased area deprivation, Hispanic ethnicity, and younger age were linked to lower GC test odds.

Conclusions:

• Genomic testing utilization for PCa is lower in socioeconomically disadvantaged populations and Hispanic patients.
• Demographic variations in the use of discretionary PCa risk assessment tools are evident.
• Addressing disparities in GC testing access is crucial for equitable PCa management.