In the United States, prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death, with consistent outcome disparities between African Americans (AA) and Caucasian Americans (CA). Many studies have reported the various factors associated with racial differences in prostate cancer incidence and mortality between AA and CA. Little is known about the racial differences in Health Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) between AA and CA, especially the pre-diagnosis lifestyle (healthy behaviors) factors, socioeconomic (SES) factors and healthcare seeking behaviors and beliefs associated with the differences of HRQOL. Our primary hypothesis is that racial differences in long-term prostate cancer HRQOL are the results of racial differences in healthy behaviors prior to diagnosis, SES and healthcare seeking behaviors and beliefs. A population-based prospective study, the Quality of Life Prostate Cancer Project (Q-PCaP), is proposed to address this issue. Q-PCaP is a follow-up study built upon the North Carolina-Louisiana Prostate Cancer Project (PCaP), which was a population-based study conducted from July 2004 through August 2009 for the Louisiana part. Q-PCaP will collect follow up HRQOL data among the Louisiana cohort of PCaP and conduct secondary analysis of the PCaP baseline data set. All analyses will control for disease aggressiveness at initial diagnosis and primary treatment methods. Q-PCaP is designed to evaluate factors contributing to disparities in prostate cancer, particularly prostate cancer HRQOL in order to facilitate efforts to decrease disparities and enhance HRQOL in prostate cancer survivors. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: HRQoL and HBL are potentially modifiable factors that may contribute to racial differences in PCa outcomes;however, these factors have not been directly evaluated as mediators of racial disparities. Eliminating health disparities and increasing the quality and years of healthy life available to all are the primary goals of the Healthy People 2010, and determining theunderlying causes and extent of cancer health disparities through expanded epidemiologic research is also central to the NCI Challenge Goal 2015 strategic initiative "Overcoming Health Disparities". While employing a multidisciplinary research approach to investigate the full spectrum of causal factors responsible for the disparity between race/ethnicity regarding health outcomes, the proposed Q-PCAP study will address this critical research priority in a cost efficient manner by conducting a population-based prospective follow-up study of the LA PCaP cohort.
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