African-American men significantly underestimate their risk of a positive prostate biopsy

According to new data from a study at the University of Chicago, African-American males scheduled for a prostate biopsy are at greater risk for a positive diagnosis of cancer than white males and they also significantly underestimate their probability of a positive biopsy result.

It is important to know that many African Americans do not even go for a recommended biopsy, thus increasing their risk for a delay in diagnosis until their cancer has progressed to become incurable.
These findings imply that the nature of conversations about testing for risk of prostate cancer between African-American males and their doctors may need to be significantly differently framed than the conversations between white men and their physicians.