PI Perspective #35

January 2003     View PDF     En español

Prostate Cancer Screening in African American Men

A group in New York evaluated Prostate Serum Antigen (PSA) levels among HIV-positive and HIV-negative African American men forty years of age and older. PSA is a laboratory marker that helps doctors to diagnose prostate cancer. Because PSA levels can be affected by other conditions, including urinary tract infections, inflammation of the prostate, etc., men with these conditions were excluded from the study. In all age ranges examined (40–49, 50–59, 60–69), HIV-negative African American men had consistently higher PSA levels than HIV-positive African American men. Researchers speculate that this might be caused by decreased immunity, the use of anti-HIV medications, low testosterone levels (which is associated with advancing HIV disease) and possibly variations in the PSA test itself. The following chart displays the differences observed in the study:

This study is important as it is estimated that about 14% of HIV-positive African American men are over the age of forty and should be undergoing age-appropriate screening for prostate cancer. Doctors should be aware that African American men living with HIV may have lower PSA levels compared to their HIV-negative counterparts and be aware that this may make early detection of prostate cancer by relying on PSA more difficult. It is likely that this information also applies to men of different races and ethnicities.