Trends and Racial Differences in the Use of Androgen Deprivation Therapy for Metastatic Prostate Cancer

ContextAndrogen 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.ObjectivesThe 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.MethodsData 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.ResultsAfrican-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.ConclusionAfrican-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.