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Carcinoma of the prostate: race as a prognostic indicator in definitive radiation therapy
J A Kim1, D A Kuban, A M el-Mahdi
1Department of Radiation Oncology, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk 23507.
Purpose:
To characterize the racial differences in prognostic factors and treatment outcome for patients undergoing radiation therapy for carcinoma of the prostate.
Materials And Methods:
From January 1975 through December 1989, 489 white and 157 black men with carcinoma of the prostate underwent irradiation. Factors analyzed were patient age, tumor stage and grade, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels, and disease-control and survival rates.
Results:
More black patients than white patients were found to have poorly differentiated tumors. Black patients had higher PSA levels before and after treatment, resulting in a higher distant failure rate and poorer overall, cause-specific, and disease-free survival rates.
Conclusion:
Black men have more aggressive prostatic tumors, a higher rate of metastasis, and a poorer survival rate than do white men.