Heaphy CM, Joshu CE, Barber JR, et al. - Given that relative to White men, Black men exhibit worse prostate cancer outcomes following treatment even when accounting for prognostic factors, researchers here examined if Black–White differences in the telomere biomarker and/or in its components could explain the racial disparity in prostate cancer outcomes. They matched Black [higher grade (Gleason ≥ 4+3) = 34 and lower grade = 93] and White (higher grade = 34 and lower grade = 89) surgically treated men with respect to age, pathologic stage, and grade. Using a robust telomere-specific FISH assay, telomere lengths in cancer and cancer-associated stromal cells were assessed. The analysis revealed an adverse prostate cancer cell telomere phenotype in a greater proportion of Black men with higher grade disease than White men with higher grade disease. Findings thereby provide a possible explanation for the racial difference in prostate cancer outcomes.