BACKGROUND
Prostate cancer (PC) affects African American men disproportionately compared to men of other racial/ethnic groups. To identify biological bases for this health disparity, we sought to create a state-wide biobank of African American PC survivors in Florida.
METHODS
African American men diagnosed with PC between 2013-2017 and living in Florida at diagnosis were identified through the State of Florida's cancer registry. Individuals were approached via mail and telephone, assessed for eligibility, and asked for informed consent. Chi-square and t-tests were conducted to identify differences between eligible and reachable individuals (i.e., had valid contact information) vs. consented participants.
RESULTS
Of the 5,960 eligible and reachable individuals, 3,904 were eligible and contacted at least once, and 578 consented (overall consent rate=10% [578/5,960]; adjusted consent rate=15% [578/3,904]). Statistically significant (ps<.05) but small differences in demographic and clinical variables were observed. Consented participants were less likely to be older than 64 (35% vs. 41%) and less likely to have received radiotherapy (36% vs. 41%) and hormone therapy (16% vs. 21%), but more likely to have regional PC (13% vs. 11%) and have undergone surgery (44% vs. 39%). Consented participants did not differ from reachable individuals on other demographic and clinical factors (ps>.05).
CONCLUSIONS
Recruiting African American PC survivors to biobanking research through a cancer registry is feasible. However, the consent rate was low, and existing challenges limit consent and participation.
IMPACT
Strategies for overcoming barriers to informed consent and increasing participation in biospecimen research are needed to address cancer disparities.