Trends and racial differences in the use of androgen deprivation therapy for metastatic prostate cancer.
BACKGROUND
Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is widely used to manage the symptoms of advanced prostate cancer and has been shown to slow the progression of the disease. Previous research investigating racial differences in the use of ADT has reported inconsistent findings.


OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to assess use trends for ADT overall and by type (orchiectomy and luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone [LHRH] agonists) and the factors associated with time to receipt for metastatic prostate cancer.


METHODS
Data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) cancer registry and Medicare claims database were obtained for 5,273 men, aged 65 years and older and diagnosed with Stage IV prostate cancer during 1991-1999 from seven SEER regions. An accelerated failure time regression model with log-normal distribution was used to examine factors associated with mean time to receipt of ADT.


RESULTS
African-American men were less likely than white men to receive any ADT after diagnosis (P<0.001). Differences were noted in the time to receipt of ADT, with African-American men having a longer mean time to receipt of orchiectomy (time ratio [TR]=1.50; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.03, 2.17) or LHRH agonist (TR=1.42; 95% CI=1.06, 1.89) than white men.


CONCLUSIONS
African-American men with metastatic prostate cancer were significantly less likely to receive ADT and, when treated, had a slightly longer time to receipt than white men, which has implications for patients and physicians involved in the palliative management of metastatic prostate cancer.
Carson
April P
AP
Department of Epidemiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
Howard
Daniel L
DL
Carpenter
William R
WR
Taylor
Yhenneko J
YJ
Peacock
Sharon
S
Schenck
Anna P
AP
Godley
Paul A
PA
D001741:Black or African American; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000819:agonists*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D009919:Orchiectomy / Q000639:trends*; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000639:trends*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D012042:Registries; D018426:SEER Program; D013997:Time Factors; D044465:White People
D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone
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