# Addressing barriers to care for African American men facing prostate cancer: a scoping review of navigation programs

## TL;DR

This review examines how patient navigation programs can help African American men facing prostate cancer by addressing care barriers and improving health outcomes.

## Contribution

The study provides a scoping review of navigation programs specifically targeting African American men with prostate cancer, highlighting gaps in current interventions.

## Key findings

- Navigation programs improved screening uptake and access to supportive services for African American men.
- Most navigation activities included care coordination, education, and emotional support.
- Few studies focused on culturally tailored navigation for African American men, and most were published before 2012.

## Abstract

African American/Black men are disproportionately impacted by prostate cancer (PCa). Patient navigation is an evidence-based approach to address barriers to care, improve access to care and health outcomes, and reduce disparities. This scoping review provides an in-depth examination of navigation programs in PCa care across the cancer continuum, with a focus on African American/Black men in the United States.

We conducted a comprehensive literature search through September 1st, 2023, in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and CINAHL Complete, using keywords and index terms within three main themes: PCa, patient navigation, and African American/Black men. We included studies that described or investigated navigation programs/interventions for PCa from screening through survivorship and included at least 30% African American/Black men.

Of the 3,556 articles identified, 8 were included. Two articles covered the same navigation program—one reported the protocol and one reported quasi-experimental trial results. All but one study was conducted prior to 2012. The most common navigation activities reported were care coordination, education/information provision, and comfort/emotional support. Navigation improved screening uptake, PCa management, and access to supportive services. Only 3 articles provided information on navigation training. Both clinical (e.g., nurses) and non-clinical (e.g., peers) navigators were reported. Only 1 article discussed cultural tailoring to African American/Black men.

Navigation programs in PCa care are beneficial; however, few studies were identified despite disease burden and disparities among African American/Black men. Contemporary navigation programs tailored for African American/Black men are needed to address persistent disparities.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00520-025-10009-7.