Racial Disparity in Utilizing Genetic Testing for Personalized Care of
Prostate Cancer
Abstract
Significant racial disparities in prostate cancer incidence and
mortality have been reported between African American Men (AAM) who are
at increased risk for prostate cancer, and European American Men (EAM).
In most of the studies carried out on prostate cancer, this population
is underrepresented. With the advancement of genome-wide association
studies (GWAS), several genetic predictor models of prostate cancer risk
have been elaborated, as well as numerous studies that identify both
germline and somatic mutations with clinical utility. Despite
significant advances, the AAM population continues to be
underrepresented in genomic studies, which can limit their
generalizability and potentially widen disparities. Here we outline
racial disparities in currently available genomic applications that are
used to estimate the risk of individuals developing prostate cancer and
to identify personalized oncology treatment strategies. While the
incidence and mortality of prostate cancer are different between AAM and
EAM. the biological features and differences of prostate tumors in AAM
and EAM are still being described. Samples from AAM remain to be
unrepresented in different studies. This disparity impacts the available
genomic data on prostate cancer. As a result, the disparity can limit
the predictive utility of the genomic applications that have been
developed and may lead to widening disparities. More studies with
substantially higher recruitment and engagement of African American
patients are necessary to overcome this disparity.