Advancing Prostate Cancer Survivorship Through Transatlantic Consortium Science: The iCCaRE Initiative
Black/African American populations, globally, bear the greatest prostate cancer (CaP) burden compared to other racial/ethnic groups. Addressing CaP disparities in Black men is complex, requiring a patient-centered, community-centric and comprehensive approach. This study integrates iCCaRE Consortium findings and broader literature to address unmet needs in survivorship care. The iCCaRE Consortium implemented five complementary pilot studies using mixed-methods designs, including feasibility trials, qualitative research, and observational analyses across the United States and sub-Saharan Africa. Descriptive statistics, subgroup analyses, and qualitative thematic analyses were performed across these studies. Collectively, projects addressed multilevel determinants including social, behavioral, and biological drivers of disparities. Project 1 implemented a Virtual Reality Assistant (ViRA) across clinical and community settings, with ongoing evaluation in pragmatic trials. Project 2 showed strong patient preference for home-based cancer care. Project 3 enrolled demonstrated trends toward improved health-related quality of life. Project 4 identified key themes influencing survivorship experiences. Project 5 identified biological mechanisms linking stress, immune modulation, and symptom burden. The iCCaRE pilot projects demonstrate the feasibility and early impact of a consortium-based, transdisciplinary approach to addressing CaP disparities in Black men. These findings highlight the importance of integrating patient-centered interventions, community engagement, and biological insights to inform scalable strategies aimed at improving survivorship outcomes and advancing health equity. The iCCaRE Consortium demonstrates that a transatlantic, patient-centered, and multidisciplinary approach integrating social, clinical, and biological factors can generate scalable strategies to improve survivorship outcomes and advance equity in CaP care for Black men.
Authors
- Che Ngufor (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5935-5744)
- Roxana Dronca (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5345-2268)
- Solomon O. Rotimi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3678-9977)
- Folakemi T. Odedina (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3796-1385)
- Emelina Asto-Flores
- Kimlin Ashing (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6209-508X)
- Ernest Kaninjing (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4250-9756)
- Arnold Merriweather
- Vinessa Gordon
Institutions
- Georgia College & State University (US)
- Georgia State University (US)
- Covenant University (NG)
- Jacksonville College (US)
- Royal British Legion (GB)
- The American Legion Department of Wisconsin (US)
- City of Hope (US)
- Mayo Clinic in Arizona (US)
- Mayo Clinic Hospital (US)
- Mayo Clinic in Florida (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Cancer Research Communications
- Published
- 2026-07-24
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1158/2767-9764.crc-26-0165
- Primary Topic
- Cancer survivorship and care
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00