Impact of socioeconomic deprivation on short-term outcomes and long-term overall survival after colorectal resection for cancer

A Comparison of Area-Level Socioeconomic Status Indices in Colorectal Cancer Care

INTRODUCTION

There are multiple measures of area socioeconomic status (SES) and there is little evidence on the comparative performance of these measures. We hypothesized adding area SES measures improves model ability to predict guideline concordant care and overall survival compared to models with standard clinical and demographic data alone.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We included patients with colorectal cancer from 2006 to 2015 from the North Carolina Cancer Registry merged with insurance claims data. The primary area SES study variables were the Social Deprivation Index, Distressed Communities Index, Area Deprivation Index, and Social Vulnerability Index. We used multivariable logistic modeling and Cox proportional hazards modeling to assess the adjusted association of each indicator, with guideline concordant care and overall survival, respectively. Model performance of the SES measures was compared to a base model using likelihood ratio testing and area under the curve (AUC) assessments to compare SES indicator models with each other.

RESULTS

We found that the Area Deprivation Index, Social Vulnerability Index and Social Deprivation Index, but not Distressed Communities Index, were significantly associated with receiving guideline concordant care and significantly improved model fit over the base model on likelihood ratio testing. All models had similar AUCs. With respect to overall survival, we found that all indices were independently and significantly associated with survival and had significantly improved model fit over the base model on likelihood ratio testing. AUC analysis again showed all area SES measures had comparable performance for overall survival at 5 y.

CONCLUSIONS

This analysis demonstrates the importance of including these measures in risk adjustment models. However, of the commonly available measures, no one measure stood out as superior to others.

Effects of ethnicity and socioeconomic status on surgical outcomes from inflammatory bowel disease

PURPOSE

Evidence suggests that ethnicity and socioeconomic status of patients with chronic diseases influence their healthcare outcomes. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of these factors on the surgical outcome of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) over a 15-year period.

METHODS

A retrospective observational study investigated IBD patients operated on at an NHS Trust between 2000-2015, with follow-up data until 2020. Logistic regression models were used to determine the relationship between ethnic minority background and Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) on outcomes including requirement for intra-abdominal surgery, permanent stoma, re-do surgery and surgical complications, accounting for age, gender, smoking history and biologic treatment.

RESULTS

There were 1,620 patients (56.7% ulcerative colitis (UC) and 43.3% Crohn's disease (CD)). Median age was 32 years, and 49.6% were female. Patients with an ethnic minority background accounted for 20.6%. Within 5 years of first presentation, 369 patients required intra-abdominal surgery, 95 permanent stomas and 107 re-do surgery. For CD patients, younger age at diagnosis, female patients, those with an ethnic minority background, higher IMD quintile, smoking history and biologic treatment were more likely to have intra-abdominal surgery. Ethnic minority background and higher IMD score were further associated with surgical complications for CD but not UC patients.

CONCLUSION

Ethnic minority status and socioeconomic deprivation were associated with worse surgical outcomes within our cohort of IBD patients. These findings may stimulate discourse regarding the strategic planning of equitable healthcare services.

Pre- and Perioperative Inflammatory Biomarkers in Older Patients Resected for Localized Colorectal Cancer: Associations with Complications and Prognosis

Simple Summary

Colorectal cancer is the second most common cancer worldwide, and the incidence increases with age. The primary treatment for localized disease is surgical resection. Biomarkers identifying older patients at risk of complications following surgery are desirable to create a more individualized treatment plan. The purpose of this study is to investigate if circulating proteins related to inflammation (CRP, Il-6, and YKL-40) can provide information about the risk of complications and survival in older patients undergoing resection, and, furthermore, to investigate if this relation is different in older patients as compared to younger patients. We investigated 401 patients with localized colorectal cancer and found that older patients (n = 210) had higher levels of preoperative inflammatory biomarkers compared to younger patients (n = 191). High levels were associated with major complications after resection in older, but not in younger, patients. This may be useful in the future to design more personalized treatment plans.

Abstract

The association between pre- and perioperative inflammatory biomarkers, major complications, and survival rates after resection of colorectal cancer (CRC) in older patients is largely unknown. The aim was to investigate age-dependent differences in these associations. Serum CRP, IL-6, and YKL-40 were measured preoperatively and on the first and second day after resection of CRC (stages I–III) in 210 older (≥70 years) and 191 younger patients (<70 years). The results from the complications was presented as an odds ratio (OR, with a 95% confidence interval (CI)) with logistic regression. Results from the mortality rates were presented as a hazard ratio (HR, with a 95% CI) using Cox proportional hazards regression. The preoperative inflammatory biomarkers were higher in the older vs. the younger patients. The risk of complications was increased in older patients with a high preoperative CRP (OR = 1.25, 95% CI 1.03–1.53), IL-6 (OR = 1.57, 95% CI 1.18–2.08), and YKL-40 (OR = 1.66, 95% CI 1.20–2.28), but not in younger patients. Mortality was higher in younger patients with high preoperative YKL-40 (HR = 1.66, 95% CI 1.06–2.60). This was not found in older patients. Elevated preoperative inflammatory biomarkers among older patients were associated with an increased risk of complications, but not mortality. Preoperative inflammatory biomarkers may be useful in assessing the risk of a complicated surgical course in older patients with CRC.

Socioeconomic Environment and Survival in Patients with Digestive Cancers: A French Population-Based Study

Social inequalities are an important prognostic factor in cancer survival, but little is known regarding digestive cancers specifically. We aimed to provide in-depth analysis of the contextual social disparities in net survival of patients with digestive cancer in France, using population-based data and relevant modeling. Digestive cancers (n = 54,507) diagnosed between 2006-2009, collected through the French network of cancer registries, were included (end of follow-up 30 June 2013). Social environment was assessed by the European Deprivation Index. Multidimensional penalized splines were used to model excess mortality hazard. We found that net survival was significantly worse for individuals living in a more deprived environment as compared to those living in a less deprived one for esophageal, liver, pancreatic, colon and rectal cancers, and for stomach and bile duct cancers among females. Excess mortality hazard was up to 57% higher among females living in the most deprived areas (vs. least deprived) at 1 year of follow-up for bile duct cancer, and up to 21% higher among males living in the most deprived areas (vs. least deprived) regarding colon cancer. To conclude, we provide a better understanding of how the (contextual) social gradient in survival is constructed, offering new perspectives for tackling social inequalities in digestive cancer survival.

Social deprivation aggravates post-operative morbidity in carcinologic colorectal surgery: Results of the COINCIDE multicenter study

AIM OF THE STUDY

Evaluate the impact of social deprivation on morbidity and mortality in surgery for colorectal cancer.

METHODS

The COINCIDE prospective cohort included nearly 2,000 consecutive patients operated on for colorectal cancer at the Assistance Publique-Hospitals of Paris (AP-HP) from 2008 to 2010. The data on these patients were crossed with the PMSI administrative database. The European Social Deprivation Index (EDI) was calculated for each patient and classified into five quintiles (quintiles 4 and 5 being the most disadvantaged patients). Thirty-day post-operative morbidity was determined according to the Dindo-Clavien classification, with a Had®Hoc re-analysis of each file. Statistical analysis was performed using the proprietary Q-finder® algorithm.

RESULTS

One thousand two hundred and fifty nine curative colorectal resections were analyzed. Mortality was 2.7% and severe morbidity (Dindo-Clavien≥3) occurred in 16.4%. Mortality was not statistically significantly increased among the most disadvantaged who made up almost two thirds of the population (64.2%). Patients in quintiles 4 and 5 had a statistically significant increase in severe morbidity. The relative risk remained 1.5 even after adjustment for the known risk factors found in the analysis: age>70 years, ASA score, urgency, and laparotomy.

CONCLUSIONS

The EDI represents an independent risk factor for severe morbidity after carcinologic colorectal resection. This study suggests that the determinants of health are multidimensional and do not depend solely on the quality and performance of the care system. The inclusion of this index in our surgical databases is therefore necessary, as is its use in health policy for the distribution of resources.