On November 8-10 this year, in Atlanta, Georgia, the Consortium on Disparities of Urologic Conditions (ConDUC) will hold its 4th annual prostate cancer symposium, entitled “Collaborative Partnerships to Improve Clinical Outcomes and Clinical Study Participation.” As in prior years, it will be hosted by the Center for Cancer Research and Therapeutic Development at Clark Atlanta University, a collaborative partner.

The theme this year celebrates and acknowledges the value of partners of ConDUC, who share in the mission of addressing disparate outcomes associated with urologic conditions, particularly prostate cancer. We recognize partners at all levels: from individuals from academia to private practices, from organizations to industry, from institutions to the community and beyond. In this spirit, all collaborative partners, including clinicians, scientists, postdoctoral trainees, medical students, undergraduates, patient advocates, medical society officers, government officials, industry representatives, and prostate cancer survivors, are welcome to attend.

With respect to prostate cancer, it is known that this disease disproportionately affects Black men. Statistics show that this disease kills 37.9 Black men per 100,000, compared to the rate of 17.8 White, non-Hispanic men per 100,000, establishing a rate ratio of 2.13.¹ A host of factors contribute to this disparity for Black men, such as poor access to care, including issues of timely screening, early detection, and appropriate treatment.

An additional consideration is limited participation of Black men in clinical studies of prostate cancer whereby clinical and therapeutic advances in prostate cancer care are not readily afforded these men. Accordingly, ConDUC, a nonprofit organization created by prominent Black urologists in the US, along with other Black leaders in business and medicine, has initiated a course of action to improve disparate outcomes in high-risk and underserved populations with urologic diseases.

This year’s program chair, Simpa Salami, MD, MPH, associate professor of urology, University of Michigan Medical School, and co-chair, Isla Garraway, MD, PhD, associate professor of urology, University of California Los Angeles School of Medicine, in conjunction with ConDUC’s executive team, have organized an outstanding scientific program. In line with prior annual conferences, this year’s program will combine lectures and panel discussions, along with poster presentations. It will also include a community prostate cancer screening event.

Program topics will include insights into prostate cancer health inequities; paradigms of prostate cancer biology observed in Black men; new approaches for early detection of prostate cancer; strategies to increase participation of Black men in research studies; aspects of prostate cancer screening, such as guidelines, shared decision-making, and community engagement in this activity; and perspectives from clinicians and patient advocates on prostate cancer experiences and survivorship. This program promises to be most interactive, engaging, and educational. Featured presenters include thought leaders and experts in all these respective areas.

ConDUC has steadily grown over the past several years as a formative organization in the urologic field. It is endorsed by the AUA, the American Cancer Society, and the National Cancer Institute’s Urologic Oncology Branch. It has formed a solid relationship with Clark Atlanta University, which serves as the administrative office for ConDUC. The organization comprises not only Black urologists, but also multidisciplinary and multiethnic representatives of medical and radiation oncologists; basic scientific, translational, and clinical researchers; health care outcome specialists; and health care and patient advocacy experts. ConDUC is grateful to receive support from pharmaceutical and biotech industry partners as well as sharing in its mission.

In addition to conducting annual conferences, ConDUC has formed a registry, called the Scientific Consortium on Prostate Cancer Education (SCOPE) Registry, which serves to collect clinical, pathologic, genomic, and serum biomarker data, as well as data on social determinants of health, impacting the health of men with prostate cancer. The SCOPE Registry is geared to become the largest data bank representing men of diverse racial and ethnic groups affected by prostate cancer. Several clinical sites are now officially entered in this Registry, and as these sites have completed comprehensive clinical research mentorship training, they are actively enrolling patients and accruing data. More sites are onboarding throughout this year with plans for enlistment of dozens of national and international sites in years to come, establishing a productive global consortium.

This Registry represents a premier resource that can be utilized to perform scientific and clinical investigations surrounding prostate cancer in population groups that have been historically underserved. In this vein, management approaches and therapeutics for this disease can be expected to advance with impactful outcomes in Black men and conceivably across all racial and ethnic groups. Indeed, the ultimate goal of this enterprise is to save lives.