6553 Background: African American men (AAs) have a higher burden of prostate cancer compared to other populations. We sought to determine if they experience disparities in access to prostate cancer clinical trials. Methods: We created a county-level database of all U.S. counties by linking together prostate cancer clinical trial data from the Aggregate Analysis of ClincalTrials.gov (AACT) database with county-level socioeconomic, demographic and healthcare facility data derived from several external data sources. Using this data linkage, we examined two specific potential access barriers. First, we investigated the relationship between %AAs in the county and access to NCI designated cancer facilities, adjusting for county population size and other characteristics. Then, among counties with cancer facilities, we investigated the relationship between the %AAs in the county and number of available prostate cancer treatment trials per capita per year. We used logistic and negative binomial regression models, respectively, to address these questions. Results: Between 2008 and 2015, 613 prostate cancer trial sites were found among 3,145 U.S. counties. Counties with higher %AAs were less likely to have cancer facilities (adjusted odds ratio = 0.85, 95% CI (0.78, 0.92)). Among counties with cancer facilities, those with higher %AAs had significantly fewer prostate cancer trials per capita per year (rate ratio per 10% increase in %AAs: 0.90, 95% CI (0.83,0.96)), after adjusting for county-level sociodemographic and healthcare system factors. Conclusions: Counties with higher proportions of AAs appear to be less likely to have access to NCI designated cancer facilities. Among counties with cancer facilities, those with higher proportions of AAs appear to have fewer available prostate cancer treatment trials per capita per year. Clinical trials in prostate cancer therapy should ensure adequate availability of enrollment sites in regions with high concentrations of AAs.
Recommended Patient-Reported Core Set of Symptoms to Measure in Prostate Cancer Treatment Trials
