Abstract A094: Ethnic differences in indicators of prostate health among Asian American men
Authors: Cho Dalnim , Gor Beverly , Hernandez Mike , Pettaway Curtis A. 
Published: January 2023

Background: Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most diagnosed non-skin cancer in American men. While Asian Americans have lower incidence and mortality rates of PCa compared to other ethnicities, this cancer type nonetheless has a significant burden on this population. Specifically, population-based studies have shown that when data on PCa in Asian Americans are disaggregated based on ethnicity, several subgroups of Asian American men, in fact, are more likely to be diagnosed with advanced (i.e., more aggressive or metastatic) PCa than non-Hispanic Whites. The heightened rates of advanced PCa at diagnosis among Asian American subgroups highlights the importance of reducing modifiable risk factors, such as smoking and obesity, and promoting early detection in these subgroups. Objective: Accordingly, to better understand and improve prostate health among Asian American men, the present study investigated within group differences in obesity and smoking, two known risk factors for advanced PCa incidence, along with previous history of PCa screening, between three large Asian American ethnic groups: Vietnamese, South Asian (Asian Indian/Pakistani), and Chinese in Houston, Texas. Methods: From 2003 to 2008, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center conducted a prostate screening project targeting minority men with low income, in which over 500 Asian American men (142 Chinese, 251 Vietnamese, and 128 South Asians) participated. The community-based program provided an educational session on PCa and participants were offered free prostate screening using the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test and/or digital rectal examination (DRE). Along with socio-demographic and clinical variables, risk factors for advanced PCa (smoking, and obesity), and previous PCa screening history were collected, and differences across the Asian subgroups were examined. Results: Vietnamese men had the highest smoking rate of the three Asian subgroups (52% reported as former/current smokers) and the lowest previous PCa screening rate (15.9% compared to 25.4% of Chinese and 18.8% of South Asian). South Asian men had the highest obesity rate of the three Asian subgroups (12.9% were obese compared to 3.4% of Vietnamese and 4.8% of Chinese). Chinese men had the highest mean PSA and the highest percentage (15.5%) of PSA results ≥ 4 compared to Vietnamese and South Asian men. Chinese men also had the highest percentage (22.4%) of abnormal findings in DRE, compared to Vietnamese (6.6%) and South Asian men (4.8%). Discussion: This study demonstrates that subgroups of Asian Americans may have different PCa risk profiles, nullifying the assumption that all Asian American men are at low risk for the disease. Thus, aggregation of Asian American subgroups may mask meaningful differences in their prostate health. Interventions may need to be tailored to specific Asian subgroups given the heterogeneity of the data based on Asian heritage.

Citation Format: Dalnim Cho, Beverly Gor, Mike Hernandez, Curtis A. Pettaway. Ethnic differences in indicators of prostate health among Asian American men [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 15th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2022 Sep 16-19; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2022;31(1 Suppl):Abstract nr A094.