Race and prostate specific antigen surveillance testing and monitoring 5-years after definitive therapy for localized prostate cancer

Background Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) surveillance testing is a cornerstone of prostate cancer survivorship because patients with biochemical recurrence often have no symptoms. However, the investigation of guideline-concordant PSA surveillance across racial groups is limited. We examined racial differences in PSA surveillance testing 5-years post-definitive treatment for localized prostate cancer. Methods We created a population-based retrospective cohort from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare linked database for men diagnosed with prostate cancer between the years 2007 to 2011 with Medicare claims through 2016 ( N = 21,372). Multivariable log-binomial regression models were used to examine the effect of race on the likelihood of not receiving at least one PSA surveillance test annually 5-years post-definitive treatment. Results Black men had 90%, 71%, 44%, 34%, and 23% increased risk of not receiving at least one PSA surveillance test annually in the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth years of post-definitive treatment follow-up, respectively. The adjusted relative risk [ARR] for Black men compared to White men were 1.68 (95% Confidence Interval [CI], 1.37–2.07), 1.52 (95% CI, 1.32–1.75), 1.32 (95% CI, 1.17–1.48), and 1.16 (95% CI, 1.05–1.29) in the first, second, third, and fourth year of post-definitive treatment, respectively. Conclusion Black men were more likely not to receive guideline-concordant PSA surveillance testing following definitive treatment for localized prostate cancer during the first 4 years post-treatment. This study suggest room for improvement in defining survivorship care plans for Black men to increase use of PSA surveillance testing.