However, equal access to care through the Veterans Administration reduces, reverses disparities
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, Oct. 16, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Differences in outcomes by race and ethnicity exist for men with nonmetastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (nmCRPC); however, equal access to care appears to lessen these disparities, according to a study published online Oct. 11 in JAMA Network Open.
Kelli M. Rasmussen, from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, and colleagues examined clinical outcomes by race and ethnicity in patients with nmCRPC within the U.S. Veterans Health Administration (2006 to 2021). The analysis included 12,992 veterans followed for a mean of 4.3 years. Time from the landmark period to death or metastasis was the primary outcome, while overall survival was the secondary outcome.
The researchers found that median time elapsed from nmCRPC to metastasis or death was 5.96 years for Black patients, 5.62 years for Hispanic patients, 4.11 years for White patients, and 3.59 years for other patients. Median unadjusted overall survival was 6.26 years overall but was from 8.36 years for Black patients, 8.56 years for Hispanic patients, 5.48 years for White patients, and 4.48 years for other patients.
“The findings of this study suggest that the availability of equal-access care may reduce and even reverse racial and ethnic disparities in patients,” the authors write. “In addition, Black and Hispanic men may have considerably improved outcomes when treated in an equal-access setting.”
Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.
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