For African American (AA) men, in addition to being at increased risk for developing prostate cancer and dying from this disease, they also have an increased risk of experiencing poorer quality of life (QOL) after diagnosis in comparison to white men. Previous studies have demonstrated that men with newly diagnosed prostate cancer do want to be informed, yet patients continue to have unmet information needs. Information seeking has been demonstrated to play a critical role in individuals' efforts to cope with the disruption of QOL associated with cancer diagnosis and treatment. It has been well documented that AAs have limited access to recommended prostate cancer education and experience multiple barriers to receiving psychosocial information and services. Although a growing body of evidence suggests that psychoeducational interventions improve QOL among newly diagnosed prostate cancer patients, there remains a lack of research examining the efficacy of these interventions among AAs. More so, associations between prostate cancer anxiety and prognostic features for prostate cancer among AA have not been well investigated. As a result, the relationship of prostate cancer anxiety to the common determinants of QOL remains poorly understood. In response, we developed an Information Technology (IT) based Psychoeducational intervention, Personalized Health Information Navigator (PHIN), to enhance QOL of newly diagnosed prostate cancer patients. The objectives of this community-based randomized control trial are to examine the impact on QOL outcomes of a six-week community navigator (CN) guided health IT psychoeducational intervention (PHIN) versus print education (PE) among AA men who are newly diagnosed with prostate cancer. Men eligible to participate in the study are AA men ages18 to 75 who have a biopsy-confirmed diagnosis of prostate cancer. Eligible subjects will be identified within 2-months of their initial diagnosis from the Moffitt Cancer Center (MCC) and select community-based clinical practices located in the Tampa Bay area. Following provision of written informed consent, eligible subjects will be asked to complete a baseline telephone interview and will be contacted for follow-up telephone interviews at 6-weeks, 3-, 6- and 12-months following the baseline assessment. The improved QOL will be confirmed by self-reported data and measuring anxiety/stress related biomarkers, cortisol and telomeres. Previous studies reported that improved QOL by behavioral interventions was associated with changes in telomere length and cortisol.
The proposed study seeks to determine if a tailored Information Technology (IT) based Psychoeducational intervention impacts health-related quality of life (QOL) and symptom management among African American (AA) men newly diagnosed with prostate cancer. This study will also explore if improved QOL is associated with changes in telomere length and cortisol. We will recruit a sample of AA men newly diagnosed with prostate disease and will enter either the intervention or usual care group. The two study conditions, intervention and control, will be evaluated at multiple time points over a 12-month period.
