Perception of risk for prostate cancer by high-risk Latino men

Significance Little is known about how Latino men who have been treated for prostate cancer approached their treatment and disclosure decision situations or how high-risk brothers and sons perceive their risk and approach screening. Without understanding practices, experiences, and attitudes toward prostate cancer treatment, disclosure, and screening, it will be impossible to develop an evidence base from which to facilitate culturally relevant support as treatment, disclosure, and screening situations are faced by men in this vulnerable and growing Latino population. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to understand prostate cancer treatment, disclosure, and screening decision situations from the perspectives of Latino men who have made prostate cancer treatment and disclosure decisions and high risk brothers and sons of Latino men treated for prostate cancer. These understandings form the evidence base to develop culturally relevant interventions to support Latino men faced with prostate cancer treatment, disclosure, and screening decisions. This presentation will describe the perceptions and beliefs about screening for prostate cancer among brothers or sons of Latino men diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Theoretical Framework Symbolic Interactionism is the framework grounding this study. Understanding and perceiving what it means to be at higher risk for prostate cancer is an interactive process in which meanings are attributed to prostate cancer within men's cultural context. This study illuminates the meanings and interactions that influence the process of understanding at perceiving whether one is at risk for prostate cancer as a first degree male relative of a man who has had prostate cancer.

Methods A two-group descriptive design using “fundamental” qualitative description was employed. Two sets of interviews were conducted. We interviewed high risk brothers and sons of Latino men with prostate cancer. In-person interviews were conducted with 30 men. Interviews were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim and. Analysis used grounded theory techniques.

Results Preliminary results are suggesting that many men were unaware that they are at higher risk for prostate cancer. Some of the initial emergent categories include incomplete or minimal information from relative with prostate cancer, not understanding familial risk, and not knowing what to do about increased risk.

Implications Categories will continue to be developed and dimensionalized through continued focused and axial coding. A theoretical framework will then be developed to describe processes of attributing and managing risk from which culturally relevant intervention will be developed to assist Latino men at high risk for prostate cancer