Prostate cancer characteristics and survival in males of African Ancestry according to place of birth: data from Brooklyn-New York, Guyana, Tobago and Trinidad.

BACKGROUND

Prostate cancer mortality rates for African-Americans are much higher than Caucasians and a similar trend is observed for prostate cancer survival. Data on recently immigrated African-descent men are lacking.

METHODS

Using cancer registry data from Brooklyn, NY and two countries in the Caribbean (Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago), survival rates were estimated. We also examined whether Black race or Caribbean birthplace predict prostate cancer survival among males living in the United States (US).

RESULTS

The Caribbean cases were diagnosed at a later age than those in the US (Guyana: 74.5 years, Trinidad and Tobago: 72.4 years, Brooklyn: 65.8 years). Patients in the Caribbean had a worse 5-year survival rate compared to those in the US (41.6% vs. 84.4%) but for immigrant Caribbean-born males living in the US the 5-year survival rate was not significantly different from African-Americans (78.1%, 95% CI: 70.9-83.7% vs. 81.4%, 95% CI: 69.5-89.1%, P = 0.792). The risk of death for Caribbean-born was more than three times higher than US-born men (HR: 3.43, 95% CI: 2.17-5.44, adjusted for ethnicity, stage, and mean age of diagnosis). A mean age of diagnosis >65 years old and stage IV disease, but not ethnicity, were found to be independently associated with the risk of death.

CONCLUSION

The survival disadvantage for Caribbean-born patients may be partly due to later diagnosis. Interventions focused on screening, education about the disease and early detection could potentially reduce cancer mortality in this population.