['To compare the racial differences in clinical and pathologic features between black and white men who underwent radical prostatectomy (RP) in an equal access health care center and to determine whether race is an independent predictor of biochemical recurrence.', 'A retrospective survey of 273 patients (125 black, 148 white) who underwent RP at the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Medical Center between 1991 and 1999 was undertaken. Patients were analyzed for racial differences in age at diagnosis, clinical stage, preoperative serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA), and Gleason score of the prostate biopsy specimens. Surgical specimens were studied to determine pathologic stage, Gleason score, incidence of seminal vesicle invasion, positive surgical margins, capsular penetration, and pelvic lymph node involvement. Patients were followed for PSA recurrence (greater than 0.2 ng/mL). Multivariate analysis was used to determine the clinical and pathologic variables that were significant in predicting biochemical recurrence after RP and to determine whether race was an independent predictor of biochemical failure.', 'No significant differences were found between black and white men in the preoperative factors (clinical stage, age at diagnosis, biopsy Gleason score, and serum PSA) or in the pathologic features of the RP specimens (Gleason score, pathologic stage, incidence of positive surgical margins, capsular penetration, seminal vesicle invasion, or lymph node involvement). In addition, no differences were found between black and white men in the PSA recurrence rates after RP using Kaplan-Meier survival curves (P = 0.651). Multivariate analysis revealed that serum PSA (P = 0.010), biopsy Gleason score (P = 0. 003), younger age (P = 0.010), surgical Gleason score (P = 0.005), and lymph node involvement (P = 0.022) were all independent predictors of biochemical recurrence. Race was not a significant predictor of biochemical failure in multivariate analysis (P = 0. 199).'] Is race an independent predictor of biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy in an equal access medical center?