Disparities in utilization of services for racial and ethnic minorities with hepatocellular carcinoma associated with hepatitis C

Racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities impact post-liver transplant survival in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES

Liver transplantation can be a curative treatment for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); however, the morbidity and mortality associated with HCC varies by socioeconomic status and race and ethnicity. Policies like Share 35 were implemented to ensure equitable access to organ transplants; however, their impacts are unclear. We aimed to characterize differences in post-liver transplant (LT) survival among patients with HCC, when considering race and ethnicity, income, and insurance type, and understand if these associations were impacted by Share 35.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 30,610 adult LT recipients with HCC. Data were obtained from the UNOS database. Survival analysis was carried out using Kaplan-Meier curves, and multivariate Cox regression analysis was used to calculate hazard ratios.

RESULTS

Men (HR: 0.90 (95% CI: 0.85-0.95)), private insurance (HR: 0.91 (95% CI: 0.87-0.92)), and income (HR: 0.87 (95% CI: 0.83-0.92)) corresponded with higher post-LT survival, when adjusted for over 20 demographic and clinical characteristics (Table 2). African American or Black individuals were associated with lower post-LT survival (HR: 1.20 (95% CI: 1.12-1.28)), whereas. Asian (HR: 0.79 (95% CI: 0.71-0.88)) or Hispanic (HR: 0.86 (95% CI: 0.81-0.92)) individuals were associated with higher survival as compared with White individuals (Table 2). Many of these patterns held in the pre-Share 35 and Share 35 periods.

CONCLUSIONS

Racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities at time of transplant, such as private insurance and income, influence post-LT survival in patients with HCC. These patterns persist despite the passage of equitable access policies, such as Share 35.

Community-Level Characteristics of Timely PCP Follow-Up Care and Post-Discharge ER Usage

Achieving equitable access has been a central goal in healthcare for years; access by low-income Americans is a major concern for policymakers. We examined the differences in post-discharge primary care follow-up visits and 30-day post discharge ER visits across several characteristics. The results suggest that higher housing density, percent minority population, percent unemployed, and percent uninsured point to lower rates of PCP follow-up care and higher rates of post-discharge ER visits. These findings have implications for developing cost-effective programs targeting hospital to PCP communication, especially in densely populated areas.

Current status of disparity in liver disease

Disparities have emerged as an important issue in many aspects of healthcare in developed countries and may be based on race, ethnicity, sex, geographical location, and socioeconomic status. For liver disease specifically, these potential disparities can affect access to care and outcome in viral hepatitis, chronic liver disease, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Shortages in hepatologists and medical providers versed in liver disease may amplify these disparities by compromising early detection of liver disease, surveillance for hepatocellular carcinoma, and prompt referral to subspecialists and transplant centers. In the United States, continued efforts have been made to address some of these disparities with better education of healthcare providers, use of telehealth to enhance access to specialists, reminders in electronic medical records, and modifying organ allocation systems for liver transplantation. This review will detail the current status of disparities in liver disease and describe current efforts to minimize these disparities.

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Survival Among Patients With Hepatocellular Carcinoma in the United States: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fastest rising cause of cancer-related death in the United States; however, HCC incidence and mortality are not equally distributed among racial and ethnic groups. Our aim was to characterize the direction and magnitude of racial and ethnic disparities in overall survival and early tumor detection among patients with HCC.

METHODS

We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane databases from inception through August 2020 for studies reporting HCC outcomes (early stage presentation and overall survival) by race and ethnicity. We calculated pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and odds ratios (ORs) for each racial and ethnic group (White, Black, Hispanic, Asian) using the DerSimonian and Laird method for a random-effects model.

RESULTS

We identified 35 articles comprising 563,097 patients (53.0% White, 17.3% Black, 18.4% Hispanic, 5.0% Asian). Compared with White patients, Black patients had worse survival (pooled HR 1.08; 95% CI, 1.05 - 1.12), whereas Hispanic (pooled HR 0.92; 95% CI, 0.87 - 0.97) and Asian (pooled HR 0.81; 95% CI, 0.73 - 0.88) patients had better survival. Among articles reporting tumor stage (n = 20), Black patients had lower odds of early stage HCC compared with White patients (OR, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.54 - 0.78). Conversely, there was no difference in odds of early HCC detection for Asian (OR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.97 - 1.05) or Hispanic patients (OR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.74 - 1.01) compared with White patients. The most common limitation of studies was risk of residual confounding from socioeconomic status and liver dysfunction.

CONCLUSIONS

There are significant racial and ethnic disparities in HCC prognosis in the United States, with Black patients having worse overall survival and Hispanic and Asian patients having better overall survival compared with White patients. Interventions are needed to reduce disparities in early HCC detection to improve HCC prognosis.

Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, Part 1: National Cancer Statistics

BACKGROUND

The American Cancer Society, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Cancer Institute, and North American Association of Central Cancer Registries collaborate to provide annual updates on cancer incidence and mortality and trends by cancer type, sex, age group, and racial/ethnic group in the United States. In this report, we also examine trends in stage-specific survival for melanoma of the skin (melanoma).

METHODS

Incidence data for all cancers from 2001 through 2017 and survival data for melanoma cases diagnosed during 2001-2014 and followed-up through 2016 were obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention- and National Cancer Institute-funded population-based cancer registry programs compiled by the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries. Data on cancer deaths from 2001 to 2018 were obtained from the National Center for Health Statistics' National Vital Statistics System. Trends in age-standardized incidence and death rates and 2-year relative survival were estimated by joinpoint analysis, and trends in incidence and mortality were expressed as average annual percent change (AAPC) during the most recent 5 years (2013-2017 for incidence and 2014-2018 for mortality).

RESULTS

Overall cancer incidence rates (per 100 000 population) for all ages during 2013-2017 were 487.4 among males and 422.4 among females. During this period, incidence rates remained stable among males but slightly increased in females (AAPC = 0.2%, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.1% to 0.2%). Overall cancer death rates (per 100 000 population) during 2014-2018 were 185.5 among males and 133.5 among females. During this period, overall death rates decreased in both males (AAPC = -2.2%, 95% CI = -2.5% to -1.9%) and females (AAPC = -1.7%, 95% CI = -2.1% to -1.4%); death rates decreased for 11 of the 19 most common cancers among males and for 14 of the 20 most common cancers among females, but increased for 5 cancers in each sex. During 2014-2018, the declines in death rates accelerated for lung cancer and melanoma, slowed down for colorectal and female breast cancers, and leveled off for prostate cancer. Among children younger than age 15 years and adolescents and young adults aged 15-39 years, cancer death rates continued to decrease in contrast to the increasing incidence rates. Two-year relative survival for distant-stage skin melanoma was stable for those diagnosed during 2001-2009 but increased by 3.1% (95% CI = 2.8% to 3.5%) per year for those diagnosed during 2009-2014, with comparable trends among males and females.

CONCLUSIONS

Cancer death rates in the United States continue to decline overall and for many cancer types, with the decline accelerated for lung cancer and melanoma. For several other major cancers, however, death rates continue to increase or previous declines in rates have slowed or ceased. Moreover, overall incidence rates continue to increase among females, children, and adolescents and young adults. These findings inform efforts related to prevention, early detection, and treatment and for broad and equitable implementation of effective interventions, especially among under resourced populations.