lmpact of a Minority Prostate Cancer (MiCaP) Research Digest in Translating Scientific Discovery into Public Health and Community Applications

Scientific Objective and Rationale: According to the American Cancer Society, there will be 35,430 cases of prostate cancer and 4,980 prostate cancer deaths for Black men in 2013. The good news is that prostate cancer death rates have been declining since the 1990s. The bad news is that Black men continue to be disproportionately affected by prostate cancer compared to any other racial or ethnic group. Addressing prostate cancer disparity is very complicated given that there are multiple factors that contribute to the disparities seen in Black men. These factors include personal, provider, institutional, and health-system factors. Without a doubt, addressing individual/personal factors is very important for Black men. After about 20 years of studying prostate cancer in Black men, our academic-community team is convinced that empowering Black men to make the best decision on prostate cancer risk reduction behaviors is one of the best weapons to fight prostate cancer in the Black community. Following the adage that 'knowledge is power,' our academic-community team (the Florida Prostate Cancer Health Disparity Research group) has proposed a project to develop a Minority Prostate Cancer (MiCaP) Research Digest. The MiCaP Research Digest will publicize the research results found by prostate cancer scientists through electronic publication of the lay abstract and impact statement, video, weblog, and recorded community clips on a dedicated website. We are especially interested in circulating information with implications for primary and secondary preventive interventions. Research Applicability: The project we are proposing will help Black men between the age of 35 and 70. Cutting-edge, high-impact prostate cancer research is being conducted by scientists within and outside the United States. In some cases, these studies have immediate implications for the health of at-risk men. Unfortunately, the results of these prostate cancer studies are not immediately available to the population that can use them to improve their quality of life. What is more disappointing is the fact that, even when prostate cancer patients participate in studies that are likely to improve their quality of life, the results of these studies are not provided to them. The primary point of research dissemination is in scientific journals. When we asked Black men in one of our studies if they read scientific journals, only 1 in 5 men reported that they read scientific journals. This means that 4 in 5 Black men do not have access to seminal health research distributed through journal articles. It is also worth noting that, even for the 1 in 5 men who have access scientific journals, the language and medical jargon in these publications may limit their usefulness to the general public. The primary benefit of the MiCaP Research Digest is that it will improve access to life-changing, scientific prostate cancer discoveries for Black men, especially the discoveries with implications for primary and secondary preventive interventions. In addition, the MiCaP Research Digest will provide critical information on clinical trials relevant for prostate cancer patients. We expect that access to up-to-date biomedical research discoveries directly reported by scientists will lead to an increase in awareness on the most current practices, knowledge, and strategies that can be used to improve prostate health outcomes. In addition, it will increase the adoption of evidence-based preventive behavioral interventions. Contribution to the Field of Prostate Cancer: Although many prostate cancer research projects are funded through public dollars, oftentimes the scientific discoveries from these projects are not accessible for the public. This is especially disturbing when such discoveries can have an immediate impact on the quality of life of men who are disproportionately affected by prostate cancer. The proposed MiCaP Research Digest will seek to fill