Racial/ethnic disparities in prostate cancer incidence, distant stage diagnosis, and mortality by U.S. Census region and age group, 2012-2015

Abstract

Background: We sought to characterize recent prostate cancer incidence, distant stage diagnosis, and mortality rates by region, race/ethnicity, and age group. Methods: In SEERStat, we examined age-specific and age-adjusted prostate cancer incidence, distant stage diagnosis, and mortality rates by race/ethnicity, census region, and age group. Incidence and mortality analyses included men diagnosed with (n ¼ 723,269) and dying of (n ¼ 112,116) prostate cancer between 2012 and 2015. Results: Non-Hispanic black (NHB) and non-Hispanic Asian/ Pacific Islander (NHAPI) men had the highest and lowest rates, respectively, for each indicator across regions and age groups. Hispanic men had lower incidence and mortality rates than non-Hispanic white (NHW) men in all regions except the Northeast where they had higher incidence [RR, 1.16; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.14–1.19] and similar mortality. Hispanics had higher distant stage rates in the Northeast (RR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.08–1.28) and South (RR, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.15–1.30), but similar rates in other regions. Non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaskan Native (NHAIAN) men had higher distant stage rates than NHWs in the West (RR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.15–1.65). NHBs and Hispanics had higher distant stage rates than NHWs among those aged 55 to 69 years (RR, 2.91; 95% CI, 2.81–3.02 and 1.24; 95% CI, 1.18–1.31, respectively), despite lower overall incidence for Hispanics in this age group. Conclusions: For Hispanic and NHAIAN men, prostate cancer indicators varied by region, while NHB and NHAPI men consistently had the highest and lowest rates, respectively, across regions. Impact: Regional and age group differences in prostate cancer indicators between populations may improve understanding of prostate cancer risk and help inform screening decisions.