Black men had a 29 percent increased risk of dying from prostate cancer, compared with White men, in studies that had only a low accounting for social determinants of health. Conversely, in studies with a high accounting for these factors, Black men had a 14 percent lower risk of dying from prostate cancer compared with White men.
The social determinants of health included income and neighborhood factors such as insurance status, income status, and geography, as well as age, comorbidities, extent of disease, insurance benefits, and receipt of standardized treatment.
Researchers based these findings on a meta-analysis of 47 studies involving more than a million men.
“Our results align with prior studies that demonstrate that when access to care is equal and treatment is standardized for all patients, Black men have similar or better prostate cancer outcomes,” the researchers concluded.
- See “Higher Prostate Cancer Mortality Among Black Men Tied to Social Determinants of Health” by Natasha Persaud on the Tenal & Urology News website (January 19, 2023)
- See the full text of the scientific paper “Evaluation of Social Determinants of Health and Prostate Cancer Outcomes Among Black and White Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis” by Randy A Vince Jr et al.
