ASCO: Study Reveals Significant Racial/Ethnic Disparities with PSMA PET Use for Patients with mPCa

Latinx and non-Hispanic Black patients with metastatic prostate cancer (mPCa) are far less likely to have PSMA PET scans than non-Hispanic White patients, according to new research presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) conference,

For the retrospective study, researchers reviewed EHR data for 550 patients who were diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer (mPCa) within a 3.5-year period between December 2020 and May 2024. The cohort was comprised of 250 non-Hispanic White (NHW) patients, 250 non-Hispanic Black (NHB) patients and 50 Latinx patients, according to the study.

In new research presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) conference, researchers noted significant racial and ethnic disparities with the utilization of PSMA PET scans in patients with metastatic prostate cancer.

The researchers found that NHB patients and Latinx patients were 44 percent less likely and 63 percent less likely, respectively, than NHW patients to have PSMA PET scans.

“NHB and Latinx (patients) were less likely to receive PSMA-PET imaging than NHW (patients). Our results are consistent with prior research documenting racial/ethnic inequities in the adoption of medical innovations and highlight the need for interventions to promote equitable uptake of diagnostic tools in oncology,” noted lead study author Eunice Hankinson, a clinical director at Flatiron Health, and colleagues.

The study authors said 61 percent of NHW patients had PSMA PET scans in comparison to 50 percent of NHB patients and 38 percent of Latinx patients. The researchers also determined that 88.9 percent of initial PET PSMA scans were done after patients had been diagnosed with mPCa.

“Future research should explore potential drivers of racial/ethnic differences in PSMA-PET uptake and their potential impact on (patient) outcomes,” added Hankinson and colleagues.

(Editor’s note: For related content, see “Detecting PCa Recurrence in African Americans: Can 18F-Flotufolastat Have an Impact?,” “What a New PSMA PET/CT Study Reveals About Local PCa Treatment and High-Risk Recurrence” and “PSMA PET/CT Study Shows Mixed Results with Single Metastasis-Directed Radiotherapy for Oligometstatic PCa.”)

Reference

1. Hankinson E, Reiss S, Ward P, et al. Assessment of racial/ethnic inequities in uptake of PSMA-PET imaging among patients with metastatic prostate cancer in the United States. Presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) conference, May 30-June 3, Chicago. Available at: https://www.asco.org/abstracts-presentations/ABSTRACT487980 .