Comparison of anal cancer outcomes in public and private hospital patients treated at a single radiation oncology center

Racial disparities in receipt of standard chemoradiation in anal squamous cell carcinoma, an analysis of the National Cancer Database

Background

Standard treatment for locally advanced anal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) consists of concurrent chemoradiation. We evaluated whether racial differences exist in the receipt of standard treatment and its association with survival.

Methods

From the National Cancer Database, we identified patients diagnosed with anal SCC (Stages 2–3) between 2004 and 2015. Using logistic regression, we evaluated racial differences in the probability of receiving standard chemoradiation. We used Cox proportional hazards models to evaluate associations between race, receipt of standard therapy and survival.

Results

Our analysis included 19,835 patients. Patients receiving standard chemoradiation had better survival than patients receiving nonstandard therapy (hazard ratio [HR] 0.64; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.61–0.68; p < 0.001). Compared to White patients, Black patients were less likely to receive standard therapy (odds ratio [OR] 0.85; 95% CI 0.76–0.96; p < 0.008). We observed no statistical difference in mortality between Black and White patients overall (HR 1.05, 95% CI 0.97–1.15; p = 0.24). However, for the subgroup of patients receiving nonstandard therapy, Black patients had an increased mortality risk compared to White patients (HR 1.17, CI 1.01–1.35; p = 0.034). We observed no survival differences in the subgroup of patients receiving standard treatment (HR 1.00, CI 0.90–1.11, p = 0.99).

Conclusion

Standard treatment in anal SCC is associated with better survival, but Black patients are less likely to receive standard treatment than White patients. Although Black patients had higher mortality than White patients in the subgroup of patients receiving nonstandard therapy, this difference was ameliorated in the subset receiving standard therapy.

Socioeconomic disparities in timeliness of care and outcomes for anal cancer patients

Background

Socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with diagnostic and treatment delays and survival in multiple cancers, but less data exist for anal squamous cell carcinoma (ASCC). This study investigated the association between SES and outcomes for patients undergoing definitive chemoradiation therapy for ASCC.

Methods

One hundred and eleven patients diagnosed with nonmetastatic ASCC between 2005 and 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. Socioeconomic predictor variables included primary payer, race, income, employment, and partnership status. Outcomes included the tumor‐node (TN) stage at diagnosis, the duration from diagnosis to treatment initiation, relapse‐free survival (RFS), and overall survival (OS). Age, gender, TN stage, and HIV status were analyzed as covariates in survival analysis.

Results

SES was not associated with the TN stage at diagnosis. SES factors associated with treatment initiation delays were Medicaid payer (P = .016) and single partnership status (P = .016). Compared to privately insured patients, Medicaid patients had lower 2‐year RFS (64.4% vs 93.8%, P = .021) and OS (82.9% vs 93.5%, P = .038). Similarly, relative to patients in the racial majority, racial minority patients had lower 2‐year RFS (53.3% vs 93.5%, P = .001) and OS (73.7% vs 92.6%, P = .008). Race was an independent predictor for both RFS (P = .027) and OS (P = .047).

Conclusions

These results highlight the impact of social contextual factors on health. Interventions targeted at socioeconomically vulnerable populations are needed to reduce disparities in ASCC outcomes.

Racial and gender disparities in the incidence of anal cancer: analysis of the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS)

Background

Racial and gender disparities have been shown in other gastrointestinal cancers. However, there is a paucity of data on racial and gender disparities in anal cancer (AC). The aim of this study was to assess racial and gender disparities among patients with AC.

Methods

We analyzed data from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) 2011 database of patients diagnosed with AC with age ≥18. Demographic data including age, race and gender were assessed. Patients were stratified based on race and gender. Log binomial regression was used to generate risk ratios.

Results

A total of 6,013,105 patients were assessed and 1,956 (0.03%) patients had AC. Female patients were more at risk of developing AC [relative risk (RR): 1.14, P=0.02]. Whites and Blacks had the highest incidence followed by Asians/Pacific Islanders. Black males had increased risk of AC (RR: 1.43, P<0.01). Amongst Hispanics; both males (RR: 0.69, P=0.05) and females (RR: 0.46, P<0.0001) had decreased risk of developing AC. Finally, we saw that Asian females had a much lower risk of developing AC (RR: 0.33, P<0.01).

Conclusions

Racial disparities and gender differences exist in the incidence of AC. Potential causes for this disparity are disparate access to healthcare, lack of education, and lack of awareness. Greater understanding of the racial disparity in AC can help identify at risk population and eventually lead to improved preventative measures to ultimately reduce the incidence of AC.