The impact of ethnicity on decisions and decision making in prostate cancer: an integrative review.

Abstract

Objectives: There are various factors that influence men's treatment decision-making for prostate cancer. However, the evidence has not been synthesized by ethnicity. The aim of this integrative review is to identify studies exploring men's decision-making treatment choices for prostate cancer by ethnicity.

Design: Literature was sought from the British Nursing Database, CINAHL, PsycINFO and PubMed. The inclusion criteria consisted of studies that concerned men from any ethnic background and had received a diagnosis of prostate cancer and treatment decision-making was discussed. 12 papers were included in this review.

Results: The results showed that a combination of external and internal influences affected men's treatment decision-making based on ethnicity. Men from certain ethnic backgrounds opted for certain types of treatment over others depending on their personal contexts which was further divided amongst age, education, and language spoken. Generally, White men were more likely to opt for surgery, with Black and Hispanic men less likely to undergo surgery.

Conclusion: In this review, White and Black men stated that their doctors' recommendation was a factor in their treatment decision-making for prostate cancer; however, other men reported that their doctors were less helpful with language representing a barrier. Further UK studies are required.