Black, Hispanic, and Asian men whose elevated PSA tests indicated a need for additional testing were far less likely than White men to receive a follow up MRI that can eliminate the need for an invasive biopsy, according to a study of nearly 800,000 men from 2011 to 2017. Prostate MRIs are increasingly being used to reduce the need for biopsies.
For example, Black men aged 40 to 54 with PSA levels above 4 ng/ml, the usual threshold for recommending prostate biopsies, were 40 percent less likely than White men to get an MRI. Asian men aged 55 to 64 were 63 percent less likely.
The data couldn’t show why some men did not receive referrals. “These disparities do highlight the need to understand what is happening and how to ensure patients of all races and ethnicities receive the best possible care,” said researcher Danny Hughes of Georgia Tech.
See “Study reveals racial, ethnic disparities in use of increasingly popular prostate cancer test” by the Georgia Institute of Technology on the MedicalXpress website (November 8, 2021)
Access the full text of the scientific paper “Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Use of Prostate Magnetic Resonance Imaging Following an Elevated Prostate-Specific Antigen Test” by Nino Abashidze et al.
