Race/Ethnicity, Risk Perception, and Receipt of Prostate-Specific Antigen Testing

Background Men who do not perceive themselves to be at risk of developing and dying from prostate cancer may be less likely to utilize prostate cancer screening. This, coupled with variation among organizations in recommendations about screening with prostate-specific antigen (PSA), may contribute to confusion for providers and/or patients making prostate cancer screening decisions. Methods Data on 1075 African American, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic white male respondents to the 2003 Health Information National Trends Study (HINTS) were analyzed to examine the association among demographic characteristics, perception of the risk of developing prostate cancer, and PSA test utilization among men aged 45 or older. Results African American men less frequently, while Hispanic men more frequently, perceived their risk of developing prostate cancer to be higher than the average same-age man compared to non-Hispanic white men. Overall, men who perceived their likelihood of getting prostate cancer as very low to moderate (OR, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.24-0.73) or perceived the likelihood compared to the average same age man as less or about as likely (OR, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.27-0.81) were significantly less likely to have received a PSA test in a model adjusted for age, marital status, education, and health insurance coverage. Conclusions These findings suggest that all men, but particularly African American and Hispanic men, could benefit from information regarding their specific risk of developing prostate cancer before making a decision about prostate cancer screening.