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Lessons Learned from Implementing a Prostate Cancer Risk Assessment Program for Underserved High-Risk Men in the Community: the Prostate REACH Project

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Abstract

Prostate cancer disproportionately affects Black men, who may also encounter barriers to participation in prostate cancer risk assessment. The Prostate Risk, Education and Assessment in the Community with Help (REACH) project was a community-based extension of a comprehensive prostate cancer risk assessment program at a comprehensive cancer center. The goals of the REACH project were the following: (1) establish a community prostate cancer risk assessment clinic, (2) conduct targeted recruitment, and (3) provide navigation services including follow-up for uninsured men. Key implementation steps included the following: (1) choosing a clinic site, (2) establishing patient access procedures, (3) establishing navigator services, (4) developing subsidy fund use guidelines, and (5) designing recruitment and promotion. Through community-based promotion, 64 men inquired about the program and 26 (41 %) participated. Of those screened, 46 % had abnormal results, and 2 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer. Here, we describe a unique demonstration project to implement a comprehensive prostate cancer risk assessment program in an underserved Black community and describe successes and challenges to inform future efforts to promote access to underserved men.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to all participants of the Fox Chase Cancer Center Prostate Cancer Risk Assessment Program and Prostate REACH program for their contribution to this work. We are also grateful to The Philadelphia Foundation for funding this pilot study. The Philadelphia Foundation is a community foundation committed to improving the quality of life in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties through funds established by its donors.

Funding

Philadelphia Foundation (grant # 20090998) (LF and VNG); VNG is supported by a Department of Defense Physician Research Training Award (DOD W81XWH-09-1-0302).

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Correspondence to Veda N. Giri.

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Fleisher, L., Davis, S.N., Gross, L. et al. Lessons Learned from Implementing a Prostate Cancer Risk Assessment Program for Underserved High-Risk Men in the Community: the Prostate REACH Project. J Canc Educ 31, 191–197 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-015-0854-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-015-0854-8

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