Estimating the impact of enhanced care at minority-serving hospitals on disparities in the treatment of breast, prostate, lung, and colon cancers.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to quantify disparities in cancer treatment delivery between minority-serving hospitals (MSHs) and non-MSHs for breast, prostate, nonsmall cell lung, and colon cancers from 2010 to 2019 and to estimate the impact of improving care at MSHs on national disparities. METHODS: Data from the National Cancer Database (2010-2019) identified patients who were eligible for definitive treatments for the specified cancers. Hospitals in the top decile by minority patient proportion were classified as MSHs. Multivariable logistic regression adjusted for patient and hospital characteristics compared the odds of receiving definitive treatment at MSHs versus non-MSHs. A simulation was used to estimate the increase in patients receiving definitive treatment if MSH care matched the levels of non-MSH care. RESULTS: Of 2,927,191 patients from 1330 hospitals, 9.3% were treated at MSHs. MSHs had significant lower odds of delivering definitive therapy across all cancer types (adjusted odds ratio: breast cancer, 0.83; prostate cancer, 0.69; nonsmall cell lung cancer, 0.73; colon cancer, 0.81). No site of care-race interaction was significant for any of the cancers (p > .05). Equalizing treatment rates at MSHs could result in 5719 additional patients receiving definitive treatment over 10 years. CONCLUSIONS: The current findings underscore systemic disparities in definitive cancer treatment delivery between MSHs and non-MSHs for breast, prostate, nonsmall cell lung, and colon cancers. Although targeted improvements at MSHs represent a critical step toward equity, this study highlights the need for integrated, system-wide efforts to address the multifaceted nature of racial and ethnic health disparities. Enhancing care at MSHs could serve as a pivotal strategy in a broader initiative to achieve health care equity for all.

Colon Cancer Survival Among South Asian Americans: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of a National Dataset.

INTRODUCTION: Colon cancer (CC) is one of the most common cancers among South Asian Americans (SAAs). The objective of this study was to measure differences in risk-adjusted survival among SAAs with CC compared to non-Hispanic Whites (NHWs) using a representative national dataset from the United States. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of patients with CC in the National Cancer Database (2004-2020) was performed. Differences in presentation, management, median overall survival (OS), three-year survival, and five-year survival between SAAs and NHWs were compared. Kaplan-Meier analysis and multivariable Cox regression were used to assess differences in survival outcomes, adjusting for demographics, presentation, and treatments received. RESULTS: Data from 2873 SAA and 639,488 NHW patients with CC were analyzed. SAAs were younger at diagnosis (62.2 versus 69.5 y, P < 0.001), higher stage (stage III [29.0% versus 26.2%, P = 0.001] or Stage IV [21.4% versus 20.0%, P = 0.001]), and experienced delays to first treatment (SAA 5.9% versus 4.9%, P = 0.003). SAAs with CC had higher OS (median not achieved versus 68.1 mo for NHWs), three-year survival (76.3% versus 63.4%), and five-year survival (69.1% versus 52.9%). On multivariable Cox regression, SAAs with CC had a lower risk of death across all stages (hazard ratio: 0.64, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In this national study, SAA patients with CC presented earlier in life with more advanced disease, and a higher proportion experienced treatment delay compared to NHW patients. Despite these differences, SAAs had better adjusted OS than NHW, warranting further exploration of tumor biology and socioeconomic determinants of cancer outcomes in SAAs.

Racial disparities in the attainment of textbook oncologic outcomes following colectomy for colon cancer: a national cancer database cohort study.

INTRODUCTION: Textbook oncologic outcome (TOO) is attained when all desired short-term quality metrics are met following an oncologic operation. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of race on TOO attainment following colectomy for colon cancer. METHODS: The 2004-2017 National Cancer Database was queried for patients with non-metastatic colon cancer who underwent colectomy. TOO was defined as: negative margins (R0), adequate lymphadenectomy (LAD) (n ≥ 12), no prolonged length of stay (LOS), no 30-day readmission or mortality, and initiation of systemic therapy in ≤ 12 weeks. Racial groups were defined as White, Black, or Hispanic. RESULTS: 508,312 patients were identified of which 34% achieved TOO. Blacks attained the least TOO (31.4%) as well as the TOO criteria of adequate LAD (81.1%), no prolonged LOS (52.3%), and no 30-day readmission (89.7%). Hispanics were least likely to have met the criteria of R0 resection (94.3%), no 30-day mortality (87.3%), and initiation of systemic therapy in ≤ 12 weeks (81.8%). Patients who attained TOO had a higher median overall survival (OS) than those without TOO (148.2 vs. 84.2 months; P < 0.001). Hispanic TOO patients had the highest median OS (181.2 months), while White non-TOO patients experienced the lowest (80.2 months, P < 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression models suggest that Black and Hispanic patients are less likely to achieve TOO than their White counterparts. CONCLUSIONS: Racial disparities exist in the achievement of TOO, with Blacks and Hispanics being less likely to attain TOO compared to their White counterparts.

Race/Ethnicity and Social Determinants of Health and Their Impact on Receiving Appropriate Chemotherapy for Colon Cancer.

INTRODUCTION: Despite the heightened understanding and improved treatment for colorectal cancer in the United States, social determinants of health (SDH) play a significant role in the colorectal cancer outcomes. We sought to investigate the relationship between SDH and appropriate utilization of adjuvant chemotherapy in stage III colon cancer. METHODS: For this retrospective study, we utilized data from the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB). Descriptive statistics are reported, including means and 95% confidence intervals for continuous variables and frequency and proportions for categorical variables. Univariate hypothesis testing to identify categorical level factors associated with treatment used Wilcoxon rank sum or Kruskal-Wallis tests, with multivariate analyses performed using regression analysis. RESULTS: Significant differences were as follows: Metro-non-Hispanic White patients received treatment less frequently (69.7%) when compared to Metro-non-Hispanic Black patients (73.4%) (P < .001). Increasing age was a negative predictor of likelihood to receive with those over 65 years old having an 83% decrease in likelihood to receive chemotherapy when compared to those under 65 (P < .001). Medicaid patients were 47% less likely and Medicare patients were 40% less likely to receive chemotherapy when compared to those with private insurance (P < .001). Rural patients were statistically more likely to receive chemotherapy (OR 1.42, 1.32-2.52, P < .001) as were urban patients, (OR 1.26, 1.20-1.31, P < .001) when compared to patients residing in metro areas. CONCLUSION: Age, living in a Metro area, and government insurance status at diagnosis are negatively correlated with the likelihood of receiving chemotherapy. Race was not associated with differences in receiving chemotherapy.

Hospital Accreditation Status and Treatment Differences Among Black Patients With Colon Cancer.

Importance: Hospital-level factors, such as hospital type or volume, have been demonstrated to play a role in treatment disparities for Black patients with cancer. However, data evaluating the association of hospital accreditation status with differences in treatment among Black patients with cancer are lacking. Objective: To evaluate the association of Commission on Cancer (CoC) hospital accreditation status with receipt of guideline-concordant care and mortality among non-Hispanic Black patients with colon cancer. Design, Setting, and Participants: This population-based cohort study used the National Program of Cancer Registries, which is a multicenter database with data from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, and covers 97% of the cancer population in the US. The participants included non-Hispanic Black patients aged 18 years or older diagnosed with colon cancer between January 1, 2018, and December 31, 2020. Race and ethnicity were abstracted from medical records as recorded by health care facilities and practitioners. The data were analyzed from December 7, 2023, to January 17, 2024. Exposure: CoC hospital accreditation. Main Outcome and Measures: Guideline-concordant care was defined as adequate lymphadenectomy during surgery for patients with stages I to III disease or chemotherapy administration for patients with stage III disease. Multivariable logistic regression models investigated associations with receipt of guideline-concordant care and Cox proportional hazards regression models assessed associations with 3-year cancer-specific mortality. Results: Of 17 249 non-Hispanic Black patients with colon cancer (mean [SD] age, 64.8 [12.8] years; 8724 females [50.6%]), 12 756 (74.0%; mean [SD] age, 64.7 [12.8] years) were treated at a CoC-accredited hospital and 4493 (26.0%; mean [SD] age, 65.1 [12.5] years) at a non-CoC-accredited hospital. Patients treated at CoC-accredited hospitals compared with those treated at non-CoC-accredited hospitals had higher odds of receiving guideline-concordant lymphadenectomy (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 1.89; 95% CI, 1.69-2.11) and chemotherapy (AOR, 2.31; 95% CI, 1.97-2.72). Treatment at CoC-accredited hospitals was associated with lower cancer-specific mortality for patients with stages I to III disease who received surgery (adjusted hazard ratio [AHR], 0.87; 95% CI, 0.76-0.98) and for patients with stage III disease eligible for chemotherapy (AHR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.59-0.96). Conclusions and Relevance: In this cohort study of non-Hispanic Black patients with colon cancer, patients treated at CoC-accredited hospitals compared with those treated at non-CoC-accredited hospitals were more likely to receive guideline-concordant care and have lower mortality risk. These findings suggest that increasing access to high-quality guideline-concordant care at CoC-accredited hospitals may reduce variations in cancer treatment and outcomes for underserved populations.

Race/Ethnicity and Social Determinants of Health and Their Impact on the Timely Receipt of Appropriate Operative Treatment of Colon Cancer.

INTRODUCTION: Rates of appropriate surgical treatment of colon cancer are historically worse in traditionally marginalized populations. We sought to examine which social determinants of health may be associated with longer time to appropriate operative intervention. METHODS: The National Cancer Databank was queried for this retrospective study. Adult patients (18 to 90 years of age) diagnosed between 2004 and 2018 with single or primary, stage III colon cancer were included. Patient demographic variables included age at diagnosis, sex, ethnicity (Hispanic or non-Hispanic), comorbidity score, median household income, education status, rural/urban status, treatment facility type and location, and insurance status. Disease characteristics include stage (stage 3), primary site, surgical margins, tumor size, and number of nodes resected. Reported descriptive statistics include means and 95% confidence intervals for continuous variables and frequency and proportions for categorical variables. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed. RESULTS: A total of 134,601 individuals diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer were included. Time to surgery in all cases had a mean of 26.4 ± 19.0 days. Multivariate analysis of time to surgery indicated that receiving surgery at a Community Cancer Program, Charlson-Deyo Score of 0, younger age, and non-Hispanic-White race/ethnicity are associated with decreased time to surgery (P < .001). CONCLUSION: Patients who receive surgery at a Community Cancer Program, have fewer comorbidities, have lower household income, are younger, and receive surgery within 50 miles of their primary residence are more likely to have timely surgery.

Variance Decomposition of Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Colon Cancer.

This cohort study examines the hospital factors associated with disparities in access and quality of colon cancer care among Hispanic patients.

Caracterización de los pacientes con cáncer de colon / Characterization of patients with colon cancer

Fundamento: el cáncer de colon es la tercera causa más frecuente de morbilidad y mortalidad por cáncer en el mundo.Objetivos: caracterizar los pacientes con cáncer de colon.Métodos: se realizó un estudio de tipo descriptivo transversal con el objetivo de caracterizar los pacientes con cáncer de colon en el Servicio de Cirugía General del Hospital Militar, desde octubre de 2013 hasta agosto de 2017. El universo estuvo compuesto por 61 pacientes con diagnóstico de cáncer de colon.Resultados: en el estudio predominaron las mujeres, los pacientes mayores de 60 años resultaron la mayoría, en específico los del grupo de 70-79 años. El adenoma velloso resultó el antecedente más frecuente. El sangrado digestivo bajo resultó la forma de presentación predominante en aquellos con localización izquierda del tumor. En la mayor parte el cáncer estaba bien diferenciado. El adenocarcinoma resulto el tipo histológico más frecuente.Conclusiones: predominaron las mujeres entre 70 y 79 años, como antecedentes patológicos personales los adenomas vellosos. El sangrado digestivo bajo resultó la forma clínica más frecuente, y se asoció a localización izquierda. Una parte de los pacientes requirió intervención quirúrgica y la técnica más empleada fue la hemicolectomía izquierda. La mayor parte de las neoplasias estaban bien diferenciadas, con inflamación crónica(AU)

Background: colon cancer is the third more frequent cause of morbidity and mortality for cancer in the world.Objective: to characterize the patients with colon cancer.Methods: a transversal and descriptive study was carried out aimed at characterizing patients with colon cancer in the Service of General Surgery of the Military Hospital Octavio de la Concepción y la Pedraja from October 2013 to August 2017. The universe was compound for 61 patients diagnosed with colon cancer.Results: women prevailed in the study. Patients older than 60 years were the majority, specifically those from the 70 to 79 age group. The hairy adenoma is the more frequent antecedent followed by the ulcerative colitis. The low digestive bleeding was the form of predominant presentation in the patients and the left localization of the tumor was the most frequent. In most of the patients the colon cancer was well differentiated. The adenocarcinoma is the more frequent histological type.Conclusions: women prevailed between 70 and 79 years with adenomas as pathological antecedents. Digestive bleeding was the clinical form of more frequent presentation, and it was associated to left localization. A part of the studied patients required surgical intervention and the most used technique was the left hemicolectomy. Most of the neoplasias were well differentiated with chronic inflammation(AU)