Prostate cancer incidence and mortality among Puerto Ricans: an updated analysis comparing men in Puerto Rico with US racial/ethnic groups.

OBJECTIVE: Prostate cancer is the most common cancer and the most common cause of cancer death among men in Puerto Rico (PR). Socioeconomic and racial/ethnic disparities with regard to prostate cancer incidence have been reported in the United States of America (US); however, detailed information regarding health disparities in PR is scarce.
METHODS: Age-standardized rates for prostate cancer incidence and mortality were calculated based on the world standard population using data from the PR Central Cancer Registry and the National Cancer Institute SEER program. The age-specific relative risks were calculated using Poisson regression models. In addition, incidence and mortality rates in PR were compared by socioeconomic position (SEP) at the municipal level.
RESULTS: For the period from 1992 to 2004, the incidence and mortality trends of prostate cancer decreased in all racial/ethnic groups except for PR men and US Hispanics (USH). Non-Hispanic whites (NHW), non-Hispanic blacks (NHB), and USH had higher incidence of prostate cancer than did PR men; however, PR men aged 85+ yrs and USH aged 45-54 yrs/85+ yrs, respectively, had higher incidences than did NHW and USH. Nonetheless, men in PR had a higher mortality than did USH and NHW. PR men aged 55-64 years with the highest SEP had a 40% higher mortality of prostate cancer than did those with the lowest SEP.
CONCLUSION: Areas of concern include the higher mortality of prostate cancer in PR as compared with the USH and NHW in the US. Further research should be performed to guide the design and implementation of prostate cancer prevention and education programs that can increase early detection in PR men.