Contrasting costs of a prostate cancer educational program by income

Objective: To compare the cost-effectiveness of prostate cancer educational programs by income. Method: Cost by 3 levels of income was contrasted with 1,086 men at work sites. Results: The participation rate decreased with lo wer incomes (p <0.001), leading to a greater cost per low-income man screen ed. However, the detection rate for prostate cancer was much greater in the lowest income group (p <0.01). Therefore, total program cost to detect a c ase of prostate cancer was 3 to 4 1/2 times less for low-income men. Conclu sion: Targeting low-income men is cost-effective and has the potential to r educe prostate cancer mortality rates.