Genomic testing rates soar for Black patients with prostate cancer after introduction of precision medicine navigators

The study showed patients seen by a precision medicine navigator were substantially more likely to receive genomic testing than those not seen by the navigator. Black patients, whose genomic testing rates traditionally are much lower than white patients, experienced a six-fold increase if they were seen by a navigator. Findings will be presented today at the American Society for Radiation Oncology Annual Meeting.

Research shows Black patients are 76% more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer than white patients and 120% more likely to die from it. This disparity stems from many factors, including lower rates of early prostate cancer screening that result in more aggressive cancers by the time Black patients are diagnosed.

Precision medicine navigators are people whose job is focused entirely on identifying patients eligible for genomic testing and then making sure the tests are completed – a task Dr. Allen said is much more complicated than it sounds. Black patients seen by the PMN were six times more likely to receive testing than those not seen by a PMN. Following the arrival of the PMN, the proportion of Black patients referred for genomic testing rose from 19% to 58%. Genomic testing rates also rose for lower-income patients , those on Medicare and Medicaid and people who were being treated at community hospitals , after the introduction of the PMN.

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