Socioeconomic status significantly contributes to the likelihood of immediate postmastectomy breast reconstruction in the Netherlands: A nationwide study

Impact of Race, Ethnicity, Primary Language, and Insurance on Reconstruction after Mastectomy for Patients with Breast Cancer at an Urban, Academic Safety-Net Hospital

BACKGROUND

Disparities in breast reconstruction have been observed in national cohorts and single-institution studies based on race, ethnicity, insurance, and language. However, little is known regarding whether safety-net hospitals deliver more or less equitable breast reconstruction care in comparison with national cohorts.

STUDY DESIGN

We performed a retrospective study of patients with either invasive breast cancer or ductal carcinoma in situ diagnosed and treated at our institution (January 1, 2009, to December 31, 2014). The rate of, timing of, and approach to breast reconstruction were assessed by race, ethnicity, insurance status, and primary language among women who underwent mastectomy. Reasons for not performing reconstruction were also analyzed.

RESULTS

A total of 756 women with ductal carcinoma in situ or nonmetastatic invasive cancer were identified. The median age was 58.5 years, 56.2% were non-White, 33.1% were non-English-speaking, and 48.9% were Medicaid/uninsured patients. A total of 142 (18.8%) underwent mastectomy during their index operation. A total of 47.9% (n = 68) did not complete reconstruction. Reasons for not performing reconstruction included patient preference (n = 22), contraindication to immediate reconstruction (ie, locoregionally advanced disease prohibiting immediate reconstruction) without follow-up for consideration of delayed reconstruction (n = 12), prohibitive medical risk or contraindication (ie, morbid obesity; n = 8), and progression of disease, prohibiting reconstruction (n = 7). Immediate and delayed reconstruction were completed in 43.7% and 8.5% of patients. The rate of reconstruction was inversely associated with tumor stage (odds ratio 0.52, 95% CI 0.31 to 0.88), but not race, ethnicity, insurance, or language, on multivariate regression.

CONCLUSIONS

At a safety-net hospital, we observed rates of reconstruction at or greater than national estimates. After adjustment for clinical attributes, rates did not vary by race, ethnicity, insurance or language. Future research is needed to understand the role of reconstruction in breast cancer care and how to advance shared decision-making among diverse patients.

Do Socioeconomic Status and Race Impact the Safety and Efficacy of Breast Reconstruction?

INTRODUCTION

Immediate breast reconstruction after mastectomy has increased in recent years when compared with delayed reconstruction. Despite this encouraging trend, racial and socioeconomic disparities in the receipt of postmastectomy breast reconstruction have been well documented. We sought to assess the effect of race, socioeconomic status, and patient comorbidities on muscle sparing transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous outcomes at our safety net hospital institution in the southeast.

METHODS

The database of a tertiary referral center was queried for patients who received free transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous flaps for immediate reconstruction after mastectomy meeting inclusion criteria from 2006 to 2020. Patient demographics and outcomes were compared based on socioeconomic status. The primary outcome (reconstructive success) was defined as breast reconstruction without flap loss. Statistical analysis included analysis of variance and χ2 tests were appropriate using Rstudio.

RESULTS

Three-hundred fourteen patients were included in the study, with 76% White, 16% Black, and 8% other. Overall complication rate at our institution was 17% and reconstructive success was 94%. Non-White race, older age at time of breast cancer diagnosis, higher body mass index, and presence of comorbid conditions including current smoking and hypertension were all associated with low socioeconomic status. Despite this, surgical complication rates were not predicted by non-White race, older age, or presence of diabetes mellitus. When analyzing major and minor complications based on radiation received or reconstructive success, there was no significant difference regardless of radiation treatment with the group overall achieving a 94% success rate (P = 0.229).

CONCLUSIONS

This study aimed to characterize the impact of socioeconomic status and race/ethnic status of patients on breast reconstruction outcomes at an institution in the South. We found that despite the greater morbidity in low income and ethnic/minority patients that when treated by a comprehensive safety net institution, they had excellent reconstructive outcomes due to low complications and minimal reoperations.

Survival outcomes of autologous breast reconstruction after mastectomy: A matched case-control study

Background

Due to the lack of strong evidence-based medical evidence, the relationship between autologous breast reconstruction (ABR) after mastectomy and long-term prognosis is unclear. This study aims to explore if ABR after mastectomy is associated with the prognosis of breast cancer (BC) patients based on the data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database.

Methods

We collected data for all cases diagnosed with BC who underwent or did not undergo ABR after mastectomy from 2010-2015 in the SEER database. The primary outcome of our study was overall survival (OS) and cancer specific survival (CSS). The Propensity Score-Matched (PSM) analysis was used to eliminate the effects of non-random statistics, setting the caliper as 0.0001 to balance the baseline variables within the groups. Chi-square test, Kaplan-Meier method, univariate and multivariate cox regression analysis were used to analyze the data and subgroup analysis was performed to find the subgroups of people who might benefit from ABR.

Result

Of 27893 eligible patients, 11038 patients were matched. The cohort consisted of 5519 (50%) ABR patients and 5519 (50%) non-ABR patients after PSM. After PSM, on multivariate cox regression analysis, ABR still exerted a significant influence on the OS (hazard ratio (HR), 0.83, P< 0.05). However, no statistical difference was shown on CSS (HR, 0.93, P = 0.31). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed ABR group had better OS (P = 0.001), but similar CSS (P = 0.174) between ARB and mastectomy groups. Subgroup analysis showed that after matching, those with 50-59 years old, earlier stages of disease, without a marital partner and living in urban areas had better OS after ABR.

Conclusions

ABR after mastectomy was associated with better OS, but not affect CSS.

ESO-ESMO fifth international consensus guidelines for breast cancer in young women (BCY5)

We dedicate this manuscript in memory of a dear friend and colleague Bella Kaufman. The fifth International Consensus Symposium for Breast Cancer in Young Women (BCY5) took place virtually in October 2020, organized by the European School of Oncology (ESO) and the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO). Consensus recommendations for the management of breast cancer in young women were updated from BCY4 with incorporation of new evidence to inform the guidelines. Areas of research priorities as well as specificities in different geographic and minority populations were identified. This manuscript summarizes the ESO-ESMO international consensus recommendations, which are also endorsed by the European Society of Breast Specialists (EUSOMA).

Predictors of delayed breast reconstruction in the Netherlands: a 5-year follow-up study in stage I-III breast cancer patients

PURPOSE

Delayed breast reconstruction (DBR) is a valid option for postmastectomy breast cancer patients who have a desire for breast reconstruction but are not considered suitable for immediate breast reconstruction (IBR). The objective of this study was to investigate the clinical practice and predictors of the use of DBR in the Netherlands.

METHODS

Stage I-III breast cancer patients diagnosed from January to March 2012 and treated with mastectomy were selected from the Netherlands Cancer Registry. Routinely collected patient, tumor, treatment and hospital characteristics were complemented with data about DBR up to 2018. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to identify factors independently associated with postmastectomy DBR. Factors associated with time to DBR were identified through Cox regression analyses.

RESULTS

Of all patients who underwent mastectomy (n = 1,415), 10.2% underwent DBR. DBR patients more often received autologous reconstruction compared to IBR patients (37.5% vs 6.2%, p < 0.001). Age below 50 years (age < 35 OR 15.55, age 35-49 OR 4.18) and neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemotherapy (OR 2.59 and OR 2.83, respectively) were significantly associated with DBR. Mean time to DBR was 2.4 years [range 1-6 years]. Time to DBR was significantly associated with age < 35 years (HR 2.22), and a high hospital volume (HR 1.87).

DISCUSSION

The use of DBR after mastectomy could not be fully explained by age below 50 years, chemotherapy, and hospital volume. Treatment with radiotherapy and adjuvant chemotherapy increased time to DBR. More information about patient preferences is needed to understand the use and timing of reconstruction.

The association of socioeconomic status on treatment strategy in patients with stage I and II breast cancer in the Netherlands

Background

Previous studies have shown that socioeconomic status (SES) influences breast cancer therapy. However, these studies were performed in countries with unequal access to healthcare. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate whether SES also contributes to the likelihood of receiving a certain therapy in the Netherlands, a country with supposedly equal access to healthcare.

Materials and methods

From the Netherlands Cancer Registry, 105,287 patients with newly diagnosed stage I or II breast cancer diagnosed between 2011 and 2018 were selected for analysis. SES was calculated from the average incomes of each postal code, which were divided into 10 deciles. Primary outcome was the effect of SES on the likelihood of undergoing surgery and secondary outcome was the effect of SES on the likelihood of the type of surgery. Both outcomes were corrected for patient, tumor, and hospital characteristics and were expressed as odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI).

Results

SES did not affect the likelihood of a breast cancer patient to undergo surgery (OR 1.00 per 10% stratum). In contrast, increased age and higher tumor stage were the most important factors determining whether patients underwent surgery.

Patients with higher SES were less likely to undergo mastectomy (OR 0.98). Additionally, more recently diagnosed patients were less likely to undergo mastectomy (OR 0.93 per year) while patients with higher tumor stage were more likely to undergo mastectomy (OR 3.42).

Conclusion

SES does not affect whether a patient undergoes surgery; however, higher SES increased the likelihood of BCT.

Surgery for rectal cancer: Differences in resection rates among hospitals in the Netherlands

AIM

Numerous quality improvement initiatives for rectal cancer surgery have focused on textbook outcome parameters. In these studies, resection rate and patients who did not undergo surgery are not included, but these parameters might help to evaluate the surgical care for rectal cancer. The aim of this study is to assess the variation of non-metastatic rectal cancer resection rates among hospitals and its effect on patient outcomes.

METHODS

All patients diagnosed with non-metastatic rectal cancer between 2013 and 2018 were selected from the Netherlands Cancer Registry. Hospitals were categorized in quartiles according to resection rates. A multivariable logistic analysis was performed to determine variation in resection rate between these quartiles using a logistic regression analysis to correct for confounders. The association between resection rates and survival was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier method and Cox-regression analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 22,530 patients were included in the analysis. Resection rates varied from 68 to 89% between hospitals. After multivariable analysis, resection rate remained significantly different among the quartiles when correcting for several factors (odds ratio (95%Confidence-interval) 1.71 (1.56-1.88), 2.42 (2.19-2.67), and 4.04 (3.61-4.53) for increasing resection rate quartiles, in reference to the lowest quartile). A higher resection rate was associated with better overall survival, in multivariable analysis this survival benefit could no longer be identified.

CONCLUSION

There is a substantial variation in resection rates for rectal cancer among hospitals in the Netherlands with an impact on overall survival. This may be a relevant issue when analyzing the overall quality of rectal cancer care.