Black men fare worse in confirmatory testing and face lower likelihood of potential overtreatment
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, July 30, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Black men with newly diagnosed prostate cancer have lower odds of overtreatment and confirmatory testing when compared with White men, according to a research letter published online July 24 in JAMA Network Open.
Dawson C. Hill, from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and colleagues examined racial differences in confirmatory testing and potential overtreatment in men with newly diagnosed prostate cancer. The analysis included 8,051 men electing for active surveillance and 5,090 unhealthy men at risk for overtreatment identified from a sample of Medicare beneficiaries (2014 to 2019).
The researchers found that Black race was associated with lower odds of undergoing confirmatory testing within 12 months of diagnosis versus White race (adjusted odds ratio, 0.75), yielding a 6.1 percent decrease in confirmatory testing completion. Black race was associated with lower odds of overtreatment among unhealthy men (adjusted odds ratio, 0.86) compared with White race. Overtreatment was less common in Black men versus White men (adjusted difference, 6.1 percent).
“Our study highlights the importance of understanding the nuanced relationship between utilization and prostate cancer care quality when trying to improve care for underserved communities,” the authors write.
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