Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Prostate Cancer 5-Year Survival: The Role of Health-Care Access and Disease Severity

SIMPLE SUMMARY: This study explores the five-year survival rates of prostate cancer patients (PCa) in the United States, considering their socioeconomic status (SES) and discussing the role of healthcare access and disease severity. A population-based incidence database was used to examine the five-year survival of PCa patients, considering factors such as county-level SES and healthcare access and utilization. The results showed that living in counties with lower income and education levels was linked to higher PCa mortality rates, while better education levels were associated with lower mortality. However, associations varied depending on race and ethnicity. This study suggests that access to healthcare and the stage/grade appear to influence the relationship between county-level SES and survival rates. Our findings highlight the need for tailored interventions to address these disparities and could guide future research into improving PCa survival rates by considering area-level characteristics and demographic profiles. ABSTRACT: Introduction: Prostate cancer (PCa) exhibits one of the widest racial and socioeconomic disparities. PCa disparities have also been widely linked to location, as living in more deprived regions was associated with lower healthcare access and worse outcomes. This study aims to examine PCa survival across various USA counties in function of different socioeconomic profiles and discuss the role of potential intermediary factors. Methods: The SEER database linked to county-level SES was utilized. Five-year PCa-specific survival using the Kaplan–Meier method was performed for five racial/ethnic categories in function of SES quintiles. Multilevel Cox proportional hazards regression was performed to assess the relationship between county-level SES and PCa survival. Multivariate regression analysis was performed to examine the role of healthcare utilization and severity. Results: A total of 239,613 PCa records were extracted, and 5-year PCa-specific survival was 94%. Overall, living in counties in the worst poverty/income quintile and the worst high-school level education increased PCa mortality by 38% and 33%, respectively, while the best bachelor’s-level education rates decreased mortality risk by 23%. Associations varied considerably upon racial/ethnic stratification. Multilevel analyses showed varying contributions of individual and area-level factors to survival within minorities. The relationship between SES and PCa survival appeared to be influenced by healthcare utilization and disease stage/grade. Discussion: Racial/ethnic categories responded differently under similar county-level SES and individual-level factors to the point where disparities reversed in Hispanic populations. The inclusion of healthcare utilization and severity factors may provide partial early support for their role as intermediaries. Healthcare access (insurance) might not necessarily be associated with better PCa survival through the performance of biopsy and or/surgery. County-level education plays an important role in PCa decision making as it might elucidate discussions of other non-invasive management options. Conclusions: The findings of this study demonstrate that interventions need to be tailored according to each group’s needs. This potentially informs the focus of public health efforts in terms of planning and prioritization. This study could also direct further research delving into pathways between area-level characteristics with PCa survival.