Designing for Comprehensive Prostate Cancer Care: What Employee, Benefits, and Health Plan Leaders Should Know

It may seem intuitive that a healthy workplace is one that values employee and member health. But what does that look like in practice? Offering access to preventive screenings certainly communicates a commitment to wellness. But more important is providing screening in the broader context of a comprehensive cancer strategy that up-levels detection, care, and transitional support.

Take prostate cancer. One in 8 people with a prostate will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetimes. It is one of the most common cancers, particularly for Black or African American individuals and people over 50. The high prevalence of prostate cancer makes assessing risk, screening for and treating the disease an important part of maintaining a healthy organization.

What do you need to know about prostate cancer to make the best decisions for your employees or members?

Cost

Prostate cancer significantly disrupts workplace productivity: A 10-year study found that people with prostate cancer lost an average of 15.7 hours per week during their first six months of treatment. For 88% of the individuals who reported a reduction in work hours, their workload did not return to previous levels for at least six months.

Even 10 years post treatment, the “financial toxicity” of cancer can continue to hound survivors. The picture is no brighter for employers. In addition to lost productivity and declining morale when valued employees fall sick, the average annual cost per person attributed to metastatic prostate cancer for employers exceeds $55,000.

Early Detection

Because prostate cancer often has no early symptoms, regular screenings are important for people at average to high risk. Early detection significantly improves treatment outcomes and pushes five-year survival rates above 90%.

One of the first steps to early detection is assessing risk, particularly through genetic testing that looks for mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. People with a prostate who have a mutation in one of these genes have up to a 60% lifetime risk of prostate cancer, and are more likely to develop a more aggressive type.  AI can also be used to identify people at increased risk of cancer due to genetic, personal and family history factors, leading to more personalized care plans. Next, people at high risk – and all people with a prostate who are 50 or older – should have access to information to make an informed decision about getting screened for prostate cancer.

This is where the difference between offering a benefit and having your population  use it comes in.

Follow-Through

Once an individualized risk assessment is made, it is important to partner with your employees or members to help them make informed decisions about their prostate cancer screening options. Some people may be hesitant to screen out of embarrassment or due to concerns about overdiagnosis or discomfort associated with some screenings.

To overcome these barriers and significantly increase utilization rates, consider offering prostate-specific antigen (PSA) tests that they can take in the comfort of their own homes. These tests should be complemented with clinician follow ups, as. PSA levels can be elevated for various reasons, many of which are not related to cancer.

Clinician consultations can also address patient concerns about over-screening and promote shared decision making, particularly regarding digital rectal exams – another prostate cancer screening method. Having the opportunity to discuss results with a healthcare provider helps to minimize unnecessary anxiety and guide people to the appropriate next steps. 

Those early appointments can be daunting for people who receive an abnormal PSA test result, and many people will show up to their first oncology appointment missing images, labs or test results. This can delay their treatment plan. Leveraging AI can help identify those missing documents and move people quickly from diagnosis into treatment when it is appropriate. 

Treatment

If a diagnosis is confirmed, know that prostate cancer is a complex disease. Depending on the stage and aggressiveness of the cancer, clinicians may recommend an active surveillance approach to minimize the risk of complications from treatment while closely monitoring disease progression. 

For people who might best benefit from treatment, clinicians again are best positioned to help shed light on potential side effects (and how to manage them), as well as on treatment options. For example, newer, focal therapies may be appropriate for some people and might be less likely to cause side effects, such as incontinence and erection problems.

Employers can foster a healthy workplace by supporting both surveillance and treatment, as well as second opinions – particularly when a case is complex.

Support

When someone is diagnosed with prostate cancer, offering a comprehensive program that walks with them at every step on their journey can help them feel supported and improve their outcomes. 

Even the little things count: flexible work arrangements, health insurance coverage for screenings, and employee assistance programs all support people as they navigate their illness.

Prostate cancer can be costly – both economically and emotionally – for any organization. Contending with this steadily rising disease takes an evidenced based, personalized approach to screening, detection, follow-through, treatment and support. Offering the right, comprehensive program can help the people in your organization take better control of their health and wellbeing.

Learn more about prostate cancer here, and register for our Sept 30 webinar about better health and cost outcomes in cancer care here.