To determine whether the frequency of anterior prostate lesions (APL) on multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) prior to biopsy differed between African American (AA) and non-AA men and evaluate implications of race and tumor location for prostate cancer (PCa) detection.

Patients from the Prospective Loyola University mpMRI (PLUM) Prostate Biopsy Cohort (January 2015-December 2020) without prior diagnosis of PCa were evaluated for APLs by race. Multivariable logistic regression models evaluated predictors of APLs and associations of APLs and race with detection of any PCa (grade group 1+) and clinically significant PCa (csPCa; grade group 2+). Additional stratified and propensity score matched analyses were conducted.

Of 1,239 men included, 190 (15.3%) were AA and 302 (24.4%) had at least one APL with no differences by race on multivariable analysis. While men with APLs were twice as likely to harbor PCa or csPCa, the unadjusted proportion of targeted biopsy-confirmed APL PCa (12.6% vs 12.0%) or csPCa (8.4% vs 8.9%) were similar for AA and non-AA men. AA men had higher risk of prostate cancer on targeted cores (OR 1.66 (95%CI 1.06 – 2.61), P = 0.026) which was independent of lesion location or PI-RADS.

AA men were found to have similar rates of APLs on mpMRI to non-AA men indicating access to mpMRI may mitigate some of the historical racial disparity based on lesion location. AA men have increased risk of PCa detection compared to non-AA men independent of anterior location or lesion grade on mpMRI reinforcing the importance of identifying genetic, biologic, and socioeconomic drivers.