HUMUS
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Ethnic differences in symptom appraisal, help seeking and use of primary care by men with symptoms suggestive of prostate cancer: a multi-methods study
IRAS ID
188491
Contact name
William Hamilton
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Exeter
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Ethnic minorities in the UK have worse outcomes for some cancer types when compared with the majority. In particular, black men with prostate cancer are more likely to present as emergencies, with worse staging at diagnosis, and poorer survival compared to white men. The reasons for such differences in outcomes are uncertain, bearing in mind that the NHS is free at the point of delivery with an ethos of equity in service provision.
The HUMUS study is a Department of Health funded research designed to examine possible ethnic inequalities in prostate cancer diagnosis. It is a multi-methods study, which aims to examine possible ethnic differences in symptom appraisal, help-seeking and primary care usage among men with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and other symptoms suggestive of prostate cancer. The study will be conducted in two phases - studies 1 and 2 respectively.
Study 1 will use a piloted questionnaire (adapted from previous studies) to assess pre and post-presentational factors affecting prostate cancer diagnosis in ethnic minority groups compared to the majority. Participants will be men aged at least 40 years with LUTS, and based in ethnically diverse areas in London. They will be identified from practice computer searches using Read Codes for LUTS. Eligible participants will be sent an invitation letter, study information sheet and questionnaire, and a FREEPOST envelope to return the questionnaire. A purposive sample of consenting participants from Study 1 will be invited to Study 2, which will involve in-depth face-to-face interviews; further exploring the issues raised in Study 1, and factors affecting the offer and acceptance of PSA and digital rectal examination. Consent will also be sought to access primary care medical records to identify key time-points in participants’ diagnostic journeys.
If successful, this study will contribute to the literature in this area and may help improve primary care diagnosis of cancer.REC name
West Midlands - South Birmingham Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/WM/0396
Date of REC Opinion
26 Oct 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion