Abstract
BACKGROUND: Addressing disparities in prostate cancer requires inclusive research that recruits racially and ethnically diverse participants. This article describes the recruitment procedures and participant characteristics of a biospecimen-based study involving African American (AA), Hispanic, and non-Hispanic White (NHW) prostate cancer survivors. METHODS: AA participants were recruited through an existing biobank, whereas Hispanic and NHW participants were recruited from Moffitt Cancer Center and the University of Miami. Eligible survivors were approached via mail/phone/in person. Consented participants completed paper or electronic patient-reported outcomes measures (English or Spanish) and provided a saliva sample. Recruitment outcomes and participant characteristics were summarized by racial/ethnic group. Genetic ancestry was estimated using admixture analyses based on the 1000 Genomes Project. RESULTS: Of the 1,862 survivors approached, 648 (35%) consented. Consent rates were highest among AA (56%), followed by NHW (37%) and Hispanic (20%) participants. Among those enrolled, 632 participants (mean age = 64 at diagnosis) completed surveys and self-identified as AA (n = 251), Hispanic (n = 130), or NHW (n = 251). Among those who provided saliva samples (n = 567), genetic admixture analysis revealed that AA participants predominantly shared African ancestry [mean (M) = 82%], NHW participants showed mostly European ancestry (M = 95%), and Hispanic participants displayed a heterogeneous mix of European (M = 67%), African (M = 16%), and admixed American (M = 13%) ancestry. CONCLUSIONS: Our inclusive recruitment approaches yielded a racially and genetically diverse cohort of prostate cancer survivors. IMPACT: These findings support the feasibility of recruiting diverse populations and integrating self-reported and genomic data to advance research on cancer survivorship disparities.