Age Disparities in Diagnosis of Prostate Cancer Between African Americans and Caucasians.

Prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death in men. Age and ethnicity are two well-established risk factors for prostate cancer and have prominent influences on the onset, development, and outcomes of prostate cancer. This retrospective study reviewed more than 3,000 pathology reports on prostate surgical specimens and analyzed the associations of age and ethnicity with the onset, detection rate, and differentiation of prostate cancer. The results suggested that compared to Caucasian African American men had earlier onsets of PIN, ASAP, and prostate cancer by about one and a half years, and earlier onset of metastatic prostate cancer 9 years. Increased age is also associated with elevation of serum PSA in prostate cancer patients in both races. However, in this series neither age nor race was significantly associated with tumor grade (Gleason score). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]