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Hispanic men can expect the same success rate for surgical prostate cancer treatment as non-Hispanic white men, according to a new study by NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/The Allen Pavilion published in the November Journal of Urology. The study, which is the largest of its kind, also found that Hispanic men presented with more advanced disease than their white counterparts. Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death among Hispanic-American men.

In radical prostatectomy — the surgical removal of the prostate — the treatment failure rate was statistically equivalent between the Hispanic and non-Hispanic white groups: 18.7 percent and 17.8 percent, respectively. Treatment failure was defined as the presence of prostate specific antigen (PSA), of 0.2ng/dl or greater more than eight weeks after surgery or receiving any adjuvant therapy. Hispanic men presented with more advanced disease, including a greater percentage of abnormal rectal examinations, Gleason 7 tumors, and preoperative PSA levels greater than 10.

"Despite having more advanced prostate cancer, our study found Hispanic men and white men responded similarly to treatment," says Dr. Erik T. Goluboff, Director of Urology at NewYork-Presbyterian/The Allen Pavilion and Associate Professor of Clinical Urology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. "While more study is necessary, based on our findings, the decision to undergo radical prostatectomy should be based on the same clinical criteria currently used for all patients."

The study postulates that Hispanic men present with more advanced symptoms due to a variety of socioeconomic factors: health care access; lack of awareness; different lifestyle practices and health attitudes; embarrassment and distinct cultural perspectives; and/or language barriers. "Improved screening and early detection of prostate cancer may improve results for Hispanic men," says Dr. Goluboff.

The retrospective study compared clinical and pathological features as well as the treatment failure rate of radical prostatectomy in contemporaneously treated groups of self-identified Hispanic and non-Hispanic white men with prostate cancer. Between 1995 and 2002, 136 Hispanic men and 315 white men underwent radical prostatectomy. The majority of Hispanic-Americans in the study self-identify as being from the Dominican Republic.

"Many studies have compared prostate cancer treatment outcomes between black and white men, but few such studies have been done with Hispanic men," adds Dr. Goluboff. "This current study is the largest of its kind to examine this comparison in Hispanic and non-Hispanic white men."