Demographics in Prostate Cancer Treatment in the U.S.

Abstract

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second leading cause of cancer deaths for men in the United States and the most commonly diagnosed cancer. Though the prevalence of localized PCa among U.S. men is declining, it still causes significant morbidity and mortality. We aimed to study the factors that may impact treatment decisions for patients and physicians. More specifically, we sought to investigate differences in utilization of RP, RT, and AS treatment options to manage localized PCa in the United States for different demographics paying specific attention to the role of population density, and cancer center facility type. Many factors may go into choosing a management option (e.g. availability, accessibility, preference) but the standard of care is not as well delineated as it is for other malignancies.

By revealing these differences in management based on demographics, we hope to increase awareness of the complexity of the treatment decisions in PCa in order to maximize patient outcomes.