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Yabroff KR, Doran JF, Zhao J, Chino F, Shih YCT, Han X, Zheng Z, Bradley CJ, Bryant MF. Cancer diagnosis and treatment in working-age adults: Implications for employment, health insurance coverage, and financial hardship in the United States. CA Cancer J Clin 2024. [PMID: 38652221 DOI: 10.3322/caac.21837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Revised: 02/19/2024] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
The rising costs of cancer care and subsequent medical financial hardship for cancer survivors and families are well documented in the United States. Less attention has been paid to employment disruptions and loss of household income after a cancer diagnosis and during treatment, potentially resulting in lasting financial hardship, particularly for working-age adults not yet age-eligible for Medicare coverage and their families. In this article, the authors use a composite patient case to illustrate the adverse consequences of cancer diagnosis and treatment for employment, health insurance coverage, household income, and other aspects of financial hardship. They summarize existing research and provide nationally representative estimates of multiple aspects of financial hardship and health insurance coverage, benefit design, and employee benefits, such as paid sick leave, among working-age adults with a history of cancer and compare them with estimates among working-age adults without a history of cancer from the most recently available years of the National Health Interview Survey (2019-2021). Then, the authors identify opportunities for addressing employment and health insurance coverage challenges at multiple levels, including federal, state, and local policies; employers; cancer care delivery organizations; and nonprofit organizations. These efforts, when informed by research to identify best practices, can potentially help mitigate the financial hardship associated with cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Robin Yabroff
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science Department, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | | | - Jingxuan Zhao
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science Department, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Fumiko Chino
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, USA
| | - Ya-Chen Tina Shih
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of California-Los Angeles Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Xuesong Han
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science Department, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Zhiyuan Zheng
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science Department, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Cathy J Bradley
- University of Colorado Comprehensive Cancer Center and Colorado School of Public Health, Aurora, Colorado, USA
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Nogueira LM, May FP, Yabroff KR, Siegel RL. Racial Disparities in Receipt of Guideline-Concordant Care for Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer in the United States. J Clin Oncol 2024; 42:1368-1377. [PMID: 37939323 DOI: 10.1200/jco.23.00539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Revised: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Young individuals racialized as Black are more likely to die after a colorectal cancer (CRC) diagnosis than individuals racialized as White in the United States. This study examined racial disparities in receipt of timely and guideline-concordant care among individuals racialized as Black and White with early-onset CRC. METHODS Individuals age 18-49 years racialized as non-Hispanic Black and White (self-identified) and newly diagnosed with CRC during 2004-2019 were selected from the National Cancer Database. Patients who received recommended care (staging, surgery, lymph node evaluation, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy) were considered to have received guideline-concordant care. Odds ratios (ORs) were adjusted for age and sex. The decomposition method was used to estimate the relative contribution of demographic characteristics (age and sex), comorbidities, health insurance, and facility type to the racial disparity in receipt of guideline-concordant care. The product-limit method was used to evaluate differences in time to treatment between patients racialized as Black and White. RESULTS Of the 84,882 patients with colon cancer and 62,573 patients with rectal cancer, 20.8% and 14.5% were racialized as Black, respectively. Individuals racialized as Black were more likely to not receive guideline-concordant care for colon (adjusted OR [aOR], 1.18 [95% CI, 1.14 to 1.22]) and rectal (aOR, 1.27 [95% CI, 1.21 to 1.33]) cancers. Health insurance explained 28.2% and 21.6% of the disparity among patients with colon and rectal cancer, respectively. Individuals racialized as Black had increased time to adjuvant chemotherapy for colon cancer (hazard ratio [HR], 1.28 [95% CI, 1.24 to 1.32]) and neoadjuvant chemoradiation for rectal cancer (HR, 1.42 [95% CI, 1.37 to 1.47]) compared with individuals racialized as White. CONCLUSION Patients with early-onset CRC racialized as Black receive worse and less timely care than individuals racialized as White. Health insurance, a modifiable factor, was the largest contributor to racial disparities in receipt of guideline-concordant care in this study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leticia M Nogueira
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA
| | - Folasade P May
- Department of Medicine, Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Division of Digestive Diseases, UCLA Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Equity, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA
| | - K Robin Yabroff
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA
| | - Rebecca L Siegel
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA
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Bradley CJ, Yabroff KR, Shih YCT. Clinic-based interventions for improving access to care: a good start. J Natl Cancer Inst 2024:djae068. [PMID: 38605524 DOI: 10.1093/jnci/djae068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Cathy J Bradley
- Department of Health Systems, Management, and Policy, University of Colorado Comprehensive Cancer Center and Colorado School of Public Health, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - K Robin Yabroff
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science Department, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Ya-Chen Tina Shih
- University of California Los Angeles Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center and Department of Radiation Oncology, School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Pollack CE, Garrison V, Johnson T, Blackford AL, Banks R, Howe W, Yabroff KR, Enewold L. Housing Assistance Among Patients with Cancer: SEER-Medicare U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Data Linkage. J Natl Cancer Inst 2024:djae082. [PMID: 38588578 DOI: 10.1093/jnci/djae082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Revised: 03/04/2024] [Accepted: 04/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Lack of stable and affordable housing is an important social determinant of health. Federal housing assistance may buffer against housing vulnerabilities among low-income households, but research examining the association of housing assistance and cancer care has been limited. We introduce a new linkage of SEER-Medicare and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) administrative data. METHODS Individuals enrolled in HUD public and assisted housing programs 2006-2021 were linked with cancer diagnoses 2006-2019 identified in the SEER-Medicare data from 16 states using Match*Pro probabilistic linkage software. HUD administrative data include timing and type of housing assistance and verified household income. Medicare administrative data are available through 2020. RESULTS A total of 335,490 unique individuals who received housing assistance matched to SEER-Medicare data at any point in time, including 156,794 that recieved housing assistance around the time of their diagnosis (at least 6 months prior to diagnosis until 6 months after diagnosis or death). A total of 63,251 persons with housing assistance at the time of their diagnosis were aged 66 years and older and continuously enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B fee-for-service, 12,035 with lung, 8,866 with breast, 7,261 with colorectal, and 4,703 with prostate cancer. CONCLUSIONS This novel data linkage will be available through the National Cancer Institute and can be used to explore the ways in which housing assistance is associated with cancer diagnosis, care, and outcomes, including the role of housing assistance status in potentially reducing or contributing to inequities across racialized and ethnic groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Craig Evan Pollack
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Veronica Garrison
- Office of Policy Development & Research, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Taylor Johnson
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Amanda L Blackford
- Division of Quantitative Sciences, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Robert Banks
- Information Management Services Inc., Calverton, MD, United States
| | - William Howe
- Information Management Services Inc., Calverton, MD, United States
| | - K Robin Yabroff
- Department of Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Lindsey Enewold
- Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
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Gu C, Jewett PI, Yabroff KR, Vogel RI, Parsons HM, Gangnon RE, Purani H, Blaes AH. Forgoing physician visits due to cost: regional clustering among cancer survivors by age, sex, and race/ethnicity. J Cancer Surviv 2024; 18:385-397. [PMID: 35316473 PMCID: PMC9492897 DOI: 10.1007/s11764-022-01201-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2021] [Accepted: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Innovative treatments have improved cancer survival but also increased financial hardship for patients. While demographic factors associated with financial hardship among cancer survivors are known in the USA, the role of geography is less clear. METHODS We evaluated prevalence of forgoing care due to cost within 12 months by US Census region (Northeast, North Central/Midwest [NCMW], South, West) by demographic factors (age, sex, race/ethnicity) among 217,981 cancer survivors aged 18 to 82 years from the 2015-2019 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey. We summarized region- and group-specific prevalence of forgoing physician visits due to cost and used multilevel logistic regression models to compare regions. RESULTS The prevalence of forgoing physician visits due to cost was highest in the South (aged < 65 years: 19-38%; aged ≥ 65: 4-21%; adjusted odds ratios [OR], NCMW versus South, OR: 0.63 [0.56-0.71]; Northeast versus South, OR: 0.63 [0.55-0.73]; West versus South, OR: 0.73 [0.64-0.84]). Across the USA, including regions with broad Medicaid expansion, younger, female, and persons of color most often reported cost-related forgoing physician visits. CONCLUSION Forgoing physician visits due to cost among cancer survivors is regionally clustered, raising concerns for concentrated poor long-term cancer outcomes. Underlying factors likely include variation in regional population compositions and contextual factors, such as Medicaid expansion and social policies. Disproportionate cost burden among survivors of color in all regions highlight systemic barriers, underscoring the need to improve access to the entire spectrum of care for cancer survivors, and especially for those most vulnerable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Gu
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, 420 Delaware Street SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA.
| | - Patricia I Jewett
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, 420 Delaware Street SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
- Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women's Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - K Robin Yabroff
- Surveillance & Health Equity Science Department, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Rachel I Vogel
- Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women's Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Helen M Parsons
- Division of Health Policy and Management, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Ronald E Gangnon
- Department of Population Health Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
- Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Himal Purani
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, 420 Delaware Street SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Anne H Blaes
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, 420 Delaware Street SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
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Ohlsen TJD, Wang H, Buchbinder D, Huang IC, Desai AD, Zheng Z, Kirchhoff AC, Park ER, Krull K, Conti RM, Yasui Y, Leisenring W, Armstrong GT, Yabroff KR, Nathan PC, Chow EJ. Financial hardship among siblings of long-term survivors of childhood cancer: A Childhood Cancer Survivor Study report. Cancer 2024; 130:1125-1136. [PMID: 38100563 PMCID: PMC10939878 DOI: 10.1002/cncr.35150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2023] [Revised: 11/02/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Siblings of children with cancer may experience adverse household economic consequences, but their financial outcomes in adulthood are unknown. METHODS A total of 880 siblings (aged 18-64 years) of adult-aged childhood cancer survivors were surveyed to estimate the prevalence of financial hardship by three established domains (behavioral, material, and psychological). For individual financial hardship items matching the contemporaneous National Health Interview Survey or Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, siblings were compared with the general population by calculating adjusted prevalence odds ratios (ORs) to sample-weighted responses. Multivariable logistic regression models examined associations between sibling characteristics and each hardship domain and between sibling hardship and survivors' cancer/treatment characteristics. RESULTS Behavioral, material, and psychological hardship was reported by 24%, 35%, and 28%, respectively. Compared with national survey respondents, siblings were more likely to report worries about medical bills (OR, 1.14; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.06-1.22), difficulty affording nutritious foods (OR, 1.79; 95% CI, 1.54-2.07), and forgoing needed medical care (OR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.10-1.73), prescription medications (OR, 2.52; 95% CI, 1.99-3.20), and dental care (OR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.15-1.57) because of cost. Sibling characteristics associated with reporting financial hardship in one or more domains included female sex, older age, chronic health conditions, lower income, not having health insurance, high out-of-pocket medical expenditures, and nonmedical/nonhome debt. No survivor cancer/treatment characteristics were associated with sibling financial hardship. CONCLUSIONS Adult siblings of childhood cancer survivors were more likely to experience financial hardship compared with the general population. Childhood cancer may adversely affect entire households, with potentially lasting implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy J. D. Ohlsen
- Seattle Children’s Hospital, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Huiqi Wang
- St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | | | - I-Chan Huang
- St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Arti D. Desai
- Seattle Children’s Hospital, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - Anne C. Kirchhoff
- Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | | | - Kevin Krull
- St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Rena M. Conti
- Questrom School of Business, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Yutaka Yasui
- St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | | | | | | | - Paul C. Nathan
- The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Eric J. Chow
- Seattle Children’s Hospital, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
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Warren JL, Mariotto AB, Stevens J, Davidoff AJ, Shankaran V, Ward KC, Wu XC, Schwartz SM, Penberthy L, Yabroff KR. Association of Major Adverse Financial Events and Later-Stage Cancer Diagnosis in the United States. J Clin Oncol 2024; 42:1001-1010. [PMID: 38320222 PMCID: PMC10950180 DOI: 10.1200/jco.23.01067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2023] [Revised: 10/25/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2024] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE This study assessed the prevalence of specific major adverse financial events (AFEs)-bankruptcies, liens, and evictions-before a cancer diagnosis and their association with later-stage cancer at diagnosis. METHODS Patients age 20-69 years diagnosed with cancer during 2014-2015 were identified from the Seattle, Louisiana, and Georgia SEER population-based cancer registries. Registry data were linked with LexisNexis consumer data to identify patients with a history of court-documented AFEs before cancer diagnosis. The association of AFEs and later-stage cancer diagnoses (stages III/IV) was assessed using separate sex-specific multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS Among 101,649 patients with cancer linked to LexisNexis data, 36,791 (36.2%) had a major AFE reported before diagnosis. The mean and median timing of the AFE closest to diagnosis were 93 and 77 months, respectively. AFEs were most common among non-Hispanic Black, unmarried, and low-income patients. Individuals with previous AFEs were more likely to be diagnosed with later-stage cancer than individuals with no AFE (males-odds ratio [OR], 1.09 [95% CI, 1.03 to 1.14]; P < .001; females-OR, 1.18 [95% CI, 1.13 to 1.24]; P < .0001) after adjusting for age, race, marital status, income, registry, and cancer type. Associations between AFEs prediagnosis and later-stage disease did not vary by AFE timing. CONCLUSION One third of newly diagnosed patients with cancer had a major AFE before their diagnosis. Patients with AFEs were more likely to have later-stage diagnosis, even accounting for traditional measures of socioeconomic status that influence the stage at diagnosis. The prevalence of prediagnosis AFEs underscores financial vulnerability of patients with cancer before their diagnosis, before any subsequent financial burden associated with cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joan L. Warren
- Division of Cancer Control and Population Science, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD
| | - Angela B. Mariotto
- Division of Cancer Control and Population Science, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD
| | | | - Amy J. Davidoff
- Division of Cancer Control and Population Science, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD
| | - Veena Shankaran
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
| | - Kevin C. Ward
- Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
| | - Xiao-Cheng Wu
- School of Public Health, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA
| | - Stephen M. Schwartz
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
| | - Lynne Penberthy
- Division of Cancer Control and Population Science, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD
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Hu X, Jiang C, Fan Q, Shi KS, Parikh RB, Kamal AH, Anderson RT, Yabroff KR, Han X. US Medicare Hospice and Palliative Medicine Physician Workforce and Service Delivery in 2008-2020. J Pain Symptom Manage 2024:S0885-3924(24)00661-4. [PMID: 38467348 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2024.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2024] [Revised: 03/01/2024] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
CONTEXT Despite clinical benefits of early palliative care, little is known about Medicare physician workforce specialized in Hospice and Palliative Medicine (HPM) and their service delivery settings. OBJECTIVES To examine changes in Medicare HPM physician workforce and their service delivery settings in 2008-2020. METHODS Using the Medicare Data on Provider Practice and Specialty from 2008-2020, we identified 2,375 unique Medicare Fee-For-Service (FFS) physicians (15,565 physician-year observations) with self-reported specialty in "Palliative Care and Hospice". We examined changes in the number of HPM physicians, annual average of total number of Medicare services overall and by care setting, total number of Medicare FFS beneficiaries, and total Medicare allowed charges billed by the physician. RESULTS The number of Medicare HPM physicians increased 2.32 times from 771 in 2008 to 1790 in 2020. The percent of HPM physicians practicing in metropolitan areas increased from 90% to 96% in 2008-2020. Faster growth was also observed in female physicians (52.4% to 60.1%). Between 2008 and 2020, we observed decreased average annual Medicare FFS beneficiaries (170 to 123), number of FFS services (467 to 335), and Medicare allowed charges billed by the physician ($47,230 to $37,323). The share of palliative care delivered in inpatient settings increased from 47% to 68% in 2008-2020; whereas the share of services delivered in outpatient settings decreased from 37% to 19%. CONCLUSION Despite growth in Medicare HPM physician workforce, access is disproportionately concentrated in metropolitan and inpatient settings. This may limit receipt of early outpatient specialized palliative care, especially in non-metropolitan areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Hu
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA 22911.
| | - Changchuan Jiang
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390
| | - Qinjin Fan
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA, 30144
| | - Kewei Sylvia Shi
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA, 30144
| | - Ravi B Parikh
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104
| | - Arif H Kamal
- Patient Support Department, American Cancer Society, Kennesaw, GA, 30144
| | - Roger T Anderson
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA 22911
| | - K Robin Yabroff
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA, 30144
| | - Xuesong Han
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA, 30144
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Han X, Hu X, Zheng Z, Shi KS, Yabroff KR. Associations of Medical Debt With Health Status, Premature Death, and Mortality in the US. JAMA Netw Open 2024; 7:e2354766. [PMID: 38436960 PMCID: PMC10912961 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.54766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Importance Medical debt is increasingly common in the US. Little is known regarding its association with population health. Objective To examine the associations of medical debt with health status, premature death, and mortality at the county level in the US. Design, Setting, and Participants This cross-sectional study was conducted at the US county level using 2018 medical debt data from the Urban Institute Debt in America project linked with 2018 data on self-reported health status and premature death from the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps and with 2015 to 2019 mortality data from the National Center for Health Statistics. Data analysis was performed from August 2022 to May 2023. Exposure Share of population with any medical debt in collections and median amount of medical debt. Main Outcomes and Measures Health status was measured as (1) the mean number of physically and mentally unhealthy days in the past 30 days per 1000 people, (2) the mean number of premature deaths measured as years of life lost before age 75 years per 1000 people, and (3) age-adjusted all-cause and 18 cause-specific mortality rates (eg, malignant cancers, heart disease, and suicide) per 100 000 person-years. Multivariable linear models were fitted to estimate the associations between medical debt and health outcomes. Results A total of 2943 counties were included in this analysis. The median percentage of the county population aged 65 years or older was 18.3% (IQR, 15.8%-20.9%). Across counties, a median 3.0% (IQR, 1.2%-11.9%) of the population were Black residents, 4.3% (IQR, 2.3%-9.7%) were Hispanic residents, and 84.5% (IQR, 65.7%-93.3%) were White residents. On average, 19.8% (range, 0%-53.6%) of the population had medical debt. After adjusting for county-level sociodemographic characteristics, a 1-percentage point increase in the population with medical debt was associated with 18.3 (95% CI, 16.3-20.2) more physically unhealthy days and 17.9 (95% CI, 16.1-19.8) more mentally unhealthy days per 1000 people during the past month, 1.12 (95% CI, 1.03-1.21) years of life lost per 1000 people, and an increase of 7.51 (95% CI, 6.99-8.04) per 100 000 person-years in age-adjusted all-cause mortality rate. Associations of medical debt and elevated mortality rates were consistent for all leading causes of death, including cancer (1.12 [95% CI, 1.02-1.22]), heart disease (1.39 [95% CI, 1.21-1.57]), and suicide (0.09 [95% CI, 0.06-0.11]) per 100 000 person-years. Similar patterns were observed for associations between the median amount of medical debt and the aforementioned health outcomes. Conclusions and Relevance These findings suggest that medical debt is associated with worse health status, more premature deaths, and higher mortality rates at the county level in the US. Therefore, policies increasing access to affordable health care, such as expanding health insurance coverage, may improve population health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuesong Han
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Xin Hu
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville
| | - Zhiyuan Zheng
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Kewei Sylvia Shi
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - K. Robin Yabroff
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia
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Islami F, Baeker Bispo J, Lee H, Wiese D, Yabroff KR, Bandi P, Sloan K, Patel AV, Daniels EC, Kamal AH, Guerra CE, Dahut WL, Jemal A. American Cancer Society's report on the status of cancer disparities in the United States, 2023. CA Cancer J Clin 2024; 74:136-166. [PMID: 37962495 DOI: 10.3322/caac.21812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023] Open
Abstract
In 2021, the American Cancer Society published its first biennial report on the status of cancer disparities in the United States. In this second report, the authors provide updated data on racial, ethnic, socioeconomic (educational attainment as a marker), and geographic (metropolitan status) disparities in cancer occurrence and outcomes and contributing factors to these disparities in the country. The authors also review programs that have reduced cancer disparities and provide policy recommendations to further mitigate these inequalities. There are substantial variations in risk factors, stage at diagnosis, receipt of care, survival, and mortality for many cancers by race/ethnicity, educational attainment, and metropolitan status. During 2016 through 2020, Black and American Indian/Alaska Native people continued to bear a disproportionately higher burden of cancer deaths, both overall and from major cancers. By educational attainment, overall cancer mortality rates were about 1.6-2.8 times higher in individuals with ≤12 years of education than in those with ≥16 years of education among Black and White men and women. These disparities by educational attainment within each race were considerably larger than the Black-White disparities in overall cancer mortality within each educational attainment, ranging from 1.03 to 1.5 times higher among Black people, suggesting a major role for socioeconomic status disparities in racial disparities in cancer mortality given the disproportionally larger representation of Black people in lower socioeconomic status groups. Of note, the largest Black-White disparities in overall cancer mortality were among those who had ≥16 years of education. By area of residence, mortality from all cancer and from leading causes of cancer death were substantially higher in nonmetropolitan areas than in large metropolitan areas. For colorectal cancer, for example, mortality rates in nonmetropolitan areas versus large metropolitan areas were 23% higher among males and 21% higher among females. By age group, the racial and geographic disparities in cancer mortality were greater among individuals younger than 65 years than among those aged 65 years and older. Many of the observed racial, socioeconomic, and geographic disparities in cancer mortality align with disparities in exposure to risk factors and access to cancer prevention, early detection, and treatment, which are largely rooted in fundamental inequities in social determinants of health. Equitable policies at all levels of government, broad interdisciplinary engagement to address these inequities, and equitable implementation of evidence-based interventions, such as increasing health insurance coverage, are needed to reduce cancer disparities.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Priti Bandi
- American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Carmen E Guerra
- Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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Yabroff KR, Sylvia Shi K, Zhao J, Freedman AN, Zheng Z, Nogueira L, Han X, Klabunde CN, de Moor JS. Importance of Patient Health Insurance Coverage and Out-of-Pocket Costs for Genomic Testing in Oncologists' Treatment Decisions. JCO Oncol Pract 2024; 20:429-437. [PMID: 38194620 DOI: 10.1200/op.23.00153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2023] [Revised: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Use of genomic testing, especially multimarker panels, is increasing in the United States. Not all tests and related treatments are covered by health insurance, which can result in substantial patient out-of-pocket (OOP) costs. Little is known about oncologists' treatment decisions with respect to patient insurance coverage and OOP costs for genomic testing. METHODS We identified 1,049 oncologists who used multimarker tumor panels from the 2017 National Survey of Precision Medicine in Cancer Treatment. Separate multivariable ordinal logistic regressions examined associations of oncologist-, practice-, and area-level characteristics and oncologists' ratings of importance (very, somewhat, or a little/not important) of insurance coverage and OOP costs for genomic testing in treatment decisions, adjusting for oncologist years of experience, sex, race and ethnicity, specialty, use of next-generation sequencing (NGS) tests, region, tumor boards, patient insurance mix, and area-level socioeconomic characteristics. RESULTS Among oncologists, 47.3%, 32.7%, and 20.0% reported that patient insurance coverage for genomic testing was very, somewhat, or a little/not important, respectively, in treatment decisions. In addition, 56.9%, 28.0%, and 15.2% reported that OOP costs for testing were very, somewhat, or a little/not important, respectively. In adjusted analyses, oncologists who used NGS tests were more likely to report patient insurance and OOP costs as important (odds ratio [OR], 2.00 [95% CI, 1.16 to 3.45] and OR, 2.12 [95% CI, 1.22 to 3.68], respectively) in treatment decisions compared with oncologists who did not use these tests, as were oncologists who treated solid tumors, rather than only hematological cancers. More years of experience and higher percentages of Medicaid or self-paid/uninsured patients in the practice were associated with reporting insurance coverage (OR, 1.43 [95% CI, 1.09 to 1.89]) and OOP costs (OR, 1.51 [95% CI, 1.13 to 2.01]) as important. Oncologists in practices with molecular tumor boards for genomic tests were less likely to report coverage (OR, 0.63 [95% CI, 0.47 to 0.85]) and OOP costs (OR, 0.72 [95% CI, 0.53 to 0.97]) as important than their counterparts in practices without these tumor boards. CONCLUSION Most oncologists rate patient health insurance and OOP costs for genomic tests as important considerations in subsequent treatment recommendations. Modifiable factors associated with these ratings can inform interventions to support patient-physician decision making about care.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Robin Yabroff
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA
| | - Kewei Sylvia Shi
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA
| | - Jingxuan Zhao
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA
| | - Andrew N Freedman
- Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD
| | - Zhiyuan Zheng
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA
| | - Leticia Nogueira
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA
| | - Xuesong Han
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA
| | - Carrie N Klabunde
- Office of Disease Prevention, Office of the Director, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD
| | - Janet S de Moor
- Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD
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12
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Schafer EJ, Islami F, Han X, Nogueira LM, Wagle NS, Yabroff KR, Sung H, Jemal A. Changes in cancer incidence rates by stage during the COVID-19 pandemic in the US. Int J Cancer 2024; 154:786-792. [PMID: 37971377 DOI: 10.1002/ijc.34758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2023] [Revised: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic led to health care disruptions and declines in cancer diagnoses in the United States. However, the impact of the pandemic on cancer incidence rates by stage at diagnosis and race and ethnicity is unknown. This cross-sectional study calculated delay- and age-adjusted incidence rates, stratified by stage at diagnosis and race and ethnicity, and rate ratios (RRs) comparing changes in year-over-year incidence rates (eg, 2020 vs 2019) from 2016 to 2020 for 22 cancer types based on data obtained from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results 22-registry database. From 2019 to 2020, the incidence of local-stage disease statistically significantly declined for 19 of the 22 cancer types, ranging from 4% (RR = 0.96; 95%CI, 0.93-0.98) for urinary bladder cancer to 18% for colorectal (RR = 0.82; 95%CI, 0.81-0.84) and laryngeal (RR = 0.82; 95%CI, 0.78-0.88) cancers, deviating from pre-COVID stable year-over-year changes. Incidence during the corresponding period also declined for 16 cancer types for regional-stage and six cancer types for distant-stage disease. By race and ethnicity, the decline in local-stage incidence for screening-detectable cancers was generally greater in historically marginalized populations. The decline in cancer incidence rates during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic occurred mainly for local- and regional-stage diseases across racial and ethnic groups. Whether these declines will lead to increases in advanced-stage disease and mortality rates remain to be investigated with additional data years. Nevertheless, the findings reinforce the importance of strengthening the return to preventive care campaigns and outreach for detecting cancers at early and more treatable stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth J Schafer
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Farhad Islami
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Xuesong Han
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Leticia M Nogueira
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Nikita Sandeep Wagle
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - K Robin Yabroff
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Hyuna Sung
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Ahmedin Jemal
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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13
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Litzelman K, Han X, Zhao J, Zheng Z, Yabroff KR. Employment and workdays lost among spouses of cancer survivors: Intersection with gender across cancer treatment status. Cancer 2024; 130:816-826. [PMID: 37902827 DOI: 10.1002/cncr.35070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Revised: 08/18/2023] [Accepted: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 10/31/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cancer patients and survivors have high care needs, often provided by a spouse or partner. The purpose of this study was to elucidate how employment and work loss patterns differed across cancer history/treatment status and gender. METHODS Using nationally representative data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (2011, 2016, and 2017), the authors linked data across married participants and categorized them by spouses' cancer treatment status (no cancer history, on treatment for cancer, off treatment for cancer). Multivariable logistic and zero-inflated negative binomial regressions were used to assess the associations among cancer history/treatment status, gender, and employment outcomes (employment status and workdays lost to care for self or others). RESULTS For men, employment did not differ significantly by cancer history/treatment status (on treatment: odds ratio [OR], 0.58; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.33-1.02, off treatment: OR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.62-1.14 vs. no cancer history). For women, employment was not significantly different when the spouse was on treatment for cancer compared to no cancer history (OR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.33-1.86]) but was significantly increased for women whose spouse was off treatment (OR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.05-1.84). Among employed participants, women whose spouse was on cancer treatment were nine times more likely to take days off work to provide care (OR, 9.52; 95% CI, 3.94-23.03) and took more than three times as many days off to care for others (OR, 3.21; 95% CI, 2.07-4.97) as men whose spouse had no cancer history. CONCLUSIONS Wives of cancer survivors are at increased risk of work loss, with implications for their financial and psychological well-being. Employers, policymakers, and clinicians have opportunities to support working caregivers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristin Litzelman
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, School of Human Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Xuesong Han
- American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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14
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Yang NN, Zhao J, Zheng Z, Yabroff KR, Han X. COVID-19 vaccination, infection, and symptoms among cancer survivors in the United States. J Natl Cancer Inst 2024:djae029. [PMID: 38400782 DOI: 10.1093/jnci/djae029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2023] [Revised: 02/01/2024] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/26/2024] Open
Abstract
The experiences of cancer survivors with the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States during 2021 and 2022, when vaccinations became widely available, are largely undocumented. Using nationally representative survey data in 2021 and 2022, we found that compared with adults without a cancer history, cancer survivors were more likely to have at least 2 COVID-19 vaccines (2021: 66.6% vs 62.3%, P = .003; 2022: 77.0% vs 72.4%, P < .001) and as likely to have a COVID-19 infection history (2021: 14.1% vs 14.2%, P = .93; 2022: 39.9% vs 39.3%, P = .55) but, once infected, were more likely to develop moderate to severe symptoms (2021: 62.5% vs 54.2%, P = .02; 54.5% vs 61.3%; P = .13). Among cancer survivors, younger age, lower educational attainment, lack of health insurance, and more comorbidities were statistically significantly associated with lower vaccination rates (P < .001). Among infected cancer survivors, being female and younger were associated with higher likelihood of developing moderate to severe symptoms (P < .001). Our findings suggest tailored efforts to prevent and control COVID-19 infections for cancer survivors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nuo Nova Yang
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Jingxuan Zhao
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Zhiyuan Zheng
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - K Robin Yabroff
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Xuesong Han
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA, USA
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15
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Hussaini SMQ, Fan Q, Barrow LCJ, Yabroff KR, Pollack CE, Nogueira LM. Association of Historical Housing Discrimination and Colon Cancer Treatment and Outcomes in the United States. JCO Oncol Pract 2024:OP2300426. [PMID: 38320228 DOI: 10.1200/op.23.00426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2024] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE In the 1930s, the federally sponsored Home Owners' Loan Corporation (HOLC) used racial composition in its assessment of areas worthy of receiving loans. Neighborhoods with large proportions of Black residents were mapped in red (ie, redlining) and flagged as hazardous for mortgage financing. Redlining created a platform for systemic disinvestment in these neighborhoods, leading to barriers in access to resources that persist today. We investigated the association between residing in areas with different HOLC ratings and receipt of quality cancer care and outcomes among individuals diagnosed with colon cancer-a leading cause of cancer deaths amenable to early detection and treatment. METHODS Individuals who resided in zip code tabulation areas in 196 cities with HOLC rating and were diagnosed with colon cancer from 2007 to 2017 were identified from the National Cancer Database and assigned a HOLC grade (A, best; B, still desirable; C, definitely declining; and D, hazardous and mapped in red). Multivariable logistic regression models investigated association of area-level HOLC grade and late stage at diagnosis and receipt of guideline-concordant care. The product-limit method evaluated differences in time to adjuvant chemotherapy. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard models investigated differences in overall survival (OS). RESULTS There were 149,917 patients newly diagnosed with colon cancer with a median age of 68 years. Compared with people living in HOLC A areas, people living in HOLC D areas were more likely to be diagnosed with late-stage disease (adjusted odds ratio, 1.06 [95% CI, 1.00 to 1.12]). In addition, people living in HOLC B, C, and D areas had 8%, 16%, and 24% higher odds of not receiving guideline-concordant care, including lower receipt of surgery, evaluation of ≥12 lymph nodes, and chemotherapy. People residing in HOLC B, C, or D areas also experienced delays in initiation of adjuvant chemotherapy after surgery. People residing in HOLC C (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.09 [95% CI, 1.05 to 1.13]) and D (aHR, 1.13 [95% CI, 1.09 to 1.18]) areas had worse OS, including 13% and 20% excess risk of death for individuals diagnosed with early- and 6% and 8% for late-stage disease for HOLC C and D, respectively. CONCLUSION Historical housing discrimination is associated with worse contemporary access to colon cancer care and outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- S M Qasim Hussaini
- O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD
| | - Qinjin Fan
- Department of Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA
| | - Lauren C J Barrow
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, Baltimore, MD
| | - K Robin Yabroff
- Department of Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA
| | - Craig E Pollack
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, Baltimore, MD
| | - Leticia M Nogueira
- Department of Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA
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16
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Zhao J, Star J, Han X, Zheng Z, Fan Q, Shi SK, Fedewa SA, Yabroff KR, Nogueira LM. Incarceration History and Access to and Receipt of Health Care in the US. JAMA Health Forum 2024; 5:e235318. [PMID: 38393721 PMCID: PMC10891474 DOI: 10.1001/jamahealthforum.2023.5318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Importance People with a history of incarceration may experience barriers in access to and receipt of health care in the US. Objective To examine the associations of incarceration history and access to and receipt of care and the contribution of modifiable factors (educational attainment and health insurance coverage) to these associations. Design, Setting, and Participants Individuals with and without incarceration history were identified from the 2008 to 2018 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 cohort. Analyses were conducted from October 2022 to December 2023. Main Measures and Outcomes Access to and receipt of health care were measured as self-reported having usual source of care and preventive service use, including physical examination, influenza shot, blood pressure check, blood cholesterol level check, blood glucose level check, dental check, and colorectal, breast, and cervical cancer screenings across multiple panels. To account for the longitudinal study design, we used the inverse probability weighting method with generalized estimating equations to evaluate associations of incarceration history and access to care. Separate multivariable models examining associations between incarceration history and receipt of each preventive service adjusted for sociodemographic factors; sequential models further adjusted for educational attainment and health insurance coverage to examine their contribution to the associations of incarceration history and access to and receipt of health care. Results A total of 7963 adults with 41 614 person-years of observation were included in this study; of these, 586 individuals (5.4%) had been incarcerated, with 2800 person-years of observation (4.9%). Compared with people without incarceration history, people with incarceration history had lower percentages of having a usual source of care or receiving preventive services, including physical examinations (69.6% vs 74.1%), blood pressure test (85.6% vs 91.6%), blood cholesterol level test (59.5% vs 72.2%), blood glucose level test (61.4% vs 69.4%), dental check up (51.1% vs 66.0%), and breast (55.0% vs 68.2%) and colorectal cancer screening (65.6% vs 70.3%). With additional adjustment for educational attainment and health insurance, the associations of incarceration history and access to care were attenuated for most measures and remained statistically significant for measures of having a usual source of care, blood cholesterol level test, and dental check up only. Conclusions and Relevance The results of this survey study suggest that incarceration history was associated with worse access to and receipt of health care. Educational attainment and health insurance may contribute to these associations. Efforts to improve access to education and health insurance coverage for people with an incarceration history might mitigate disparities in care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingxuan Zhao
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Jessica Star
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Xuesong Han
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Zhiyuan Zheng
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Qinjin Fan
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Sylvia Kewei Shi
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Stacey A. Fedewa
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - K. Robin Yabroff
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Leticia M. Nogueira
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia
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17
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Waters AR, Liu Q, Ji X, Yasui Y, Yabroff KR, Conti RM, Henderson T, Huang IC, Leisenring W, Armstrong GT, Nathan PC, Park E, Kirchhoff AC. Job lock among survivors of childhood cancer and their spouses post Affordable Care Act implementation: A Childhood Cancer Survivor Study brief report. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2024; 71:e30790. [PMID: 38053241 PMCID: PMC10841982 DOI: 10.1002/pbc.30790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2023] [Revised: 11/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023]
Abstract
It is unknown how common job lock (i.e., staying at job to maintain health insurance) remains among childhood cancer survivors after Affordable Care Act (ACA) implementation in 2010. We examined prevalence of and factors associated with job lock using a cross-sectional survey from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study (3503 survivors; 942 siblings). Survivor, spousal, and any survivor/spouse job lock were more frequently reported by survivors than siblings. Survivor job lock/any job lock was associated with older age, low income, severe chronic conditions, and debt/inability to pay debt. Job lock remains more common among survivors than siblings after ACA implementation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Austin R Waters
- Cancer Control and Population Sciences, Huntsman Cancer Institute, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
- Department of Health Policy and Management, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Qi Liu
- University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Xu Ji
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine/Aflac Cancer & Blood Disorders Center, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Yutaka Yasui
- University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
| | - K Robin Yabroff
- Department of Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Rena M Conti
- Department of Markets, Public Policy and Law, Questrom School of Business, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Tara Henderson
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - I-Chan Huang
- Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
| | | | - Gregory T Armstrong
- Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
| | - Paul C Nathan
- The Hospital for Sick Children, The University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Elyse Park
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Anne C Kirchhoff
- Cancer Control and Population Sciences, Huntsman Cancer Institute, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
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Barnes JM, Yabroff KR, Chino F. Unwinding of Medicaid Continuous Enrollment Exposes Millions to Disrupted Care-"Be Kind, Rewind". JAMA Oncol 2024; 10:157-158. [PMID: 38095902 DOI: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2023.5725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
This Viewpoint discusses the causes and consequences of Medicaid unwinding and disenrollment and proposes solutions to minimize disenrollment and improve coverage uptake and health care access.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin M Barnes
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri
| | - K Robin Yabroff
- Department of Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Fumiko Chino
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Affordability Working Group, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
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Fan Q, Hussaini SMQ, Barrow LCJ, Feliciano JL, Pollack CE, Yabroff KR, Nogueira L. Association of area-level mortgage denial and guideline-concordant non-small-cell lung cancer care and outcomes in the United States. Cancer Med 2024; 13:e6921. [PMID: 38205942 PMCID: PMC10911071 DOI: 10.1002/cam4.6921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Revised: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 12/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Racial and socioeconomic disparities in receipt of care for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are well described. However, no previous studies have evaluated the association between mortgage denial rates and receipt of timely and guideline-concordant care for NSCLC and patient outcomes. METHODS We identified individuals ≥18 years diagnosed with NSCLC between 2014 and 2019 from the National Cancer Database. Using the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act database, we calculated the proportion of denied home loans to total loans at the zip-code level and categorized them into quintiles. Our outcomes included receipt of guideline-concordant care based on clinical and pathologic stage at diagnosis and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines, time from surgery to chemotherapy initiation, and overall survival. RESULTS Of the 629,288 individuals diagnosed with NSCLC (median age 69; IQR 61-76 years, 49.1% female), 47.8% did not receive guideline-concordant care. Residing in areas with higher mortgage denial rates and lower income was associated with worse guideline-concordant care overall (aRR = 1.28; 95% CI = 1.25-1.32) and for each cancer treatment modality, worse receipt of timely chemotherapy (aHR = 1.14; 95% CI = 1.11-1.17) and worse overall survival (aHR = 1.21; 95% CI = 1.19-1.22), compared with residing in areas with the lowest mortgage denial rate and highest income. CONCLUSIONS Area-level mortgage denial rate was associated with worse receipt of timely and guideline-concordant NSCLC care and survival. This highlights the critical need to understand and address systemic practices, such as mortgage denial, that limit access to resources and are associated with worse access to quality cancer care and outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qinjin Fan
- Department of Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - S M Qasim Hussaini
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Lauren C J Barrow
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Josephine L Feliciano
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Craig E Pollack
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - K Robin Yabroff
- Department of Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Leticia Nogueira
- Department of Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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Nogueira LM, Yabroff KR. Climate change and cancer: the Environmental Justice perspective. J Natl Cancer Inst 2024; 116:15-25. [PMID: 37813679 DOI: 10.1093/jnci/djad185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Revised: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 10/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite advances in cancer control-prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship-racial disparities in cancer incidence and survival persist and, in some cases, are widening in the United States. Since 2020, there's been growing recognition of the role of structural racism, including structurally racist policies and practices, as the main factor contributing to historical and contemporary disparities. Structurally racist policies and practices have been present since the genesis of the United States and are also at the root of environmental injustices, which result in disproportionately high exposure to environmental hazards among communities targeted for marginalization, increased cancer risk, disruptions in access to care, and worsening health outcomes. In addition to widening cancer disparities, environmental injustices enable the development of polluting infrastructure, which contribute to detrimental health outcomes in the entire population, and to climate change, the most pressing public health challenge of our time. In this commentary, we describe the connections between climate change and cancer through an Environmental Justice perspective (defined as the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of people of all racialized groups, nationalities, or income, in all aspects, including development, implementation, and enforcement, of policies and practices that affect the environment and public health), highlighting how the expertise developed in communities targeted for marginalization is crucial for addressing health disparities, tackling climate change, and advancing cancer control efforts for the entire population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leticia M Nogueira
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - K Robin Yabroff
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA, USA
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21
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Nogueira LM, Boffa DJ, Jemal A, Han X, Yabroff KR. Medicaid Expansion Under the Affordable Care Act and Early Mortality Following Lung Cancer Surgery. JAMA Netw Open 2024; 7:e2351529. [PMID: 38214932 PMCID: PMC10787311 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.51529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Importance Medicaid expansion under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is associated with gains in health insurance coverage, earlier stage diagnosis, and improved survival among patients with cancer. Objective To examine the association of Medicaid expansion with changes in early mortality among adults undergoing surgical resection of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), a setting in which access to care is a major determinant of survival. Design, Setting, and Participants This cohort study used the National Cancer Database to identify 14 984 adults 45 to 64 years of age who underwent surgical resection of NSCLC between 2008 and 2019. Analysis was conducted between March 28, 2021, and September 1, 2023. Exposure State of residence Medicaid expansion status. Main Outcomes and Measures Descriptive statistics were used to compare study population characteristics by Medicaid expansion status of patients' state of residence. Difference-in-differences analyses were used to evaluate the association between Medicaid expansion and postoperative mortality before implementation of the ACA (2008-2013) vs after (2014-2019). Results Among 14 984 adults included, the mean (SD) age was 56.3 (5.1) years, 54.6% were women, and 62.1% lived in Medicaid expansion states. Both 30-day (from 0.97% to 0.26%) and 90-day (from 2.63% to 1.32%) postoperative mortality decreased from before the ACA to after among patients residing in Medicaid expansion states (both P < .001) but not in nonexpansion states (30-day mortality before the ACA, 0.75% vs after the ACA, 0.68%; P = .74; and 90-day mortality before the ACA, 2.43% vs after the ACA, 2.20%; P = .57), leading to a difference-in-differences of -0.64 percentage points (95% CI, -1.19 to -0.08; P = .03) for 30-day mortality and -1.08 percentage points (95% CI, -2.08 to -0.08; P = .03) for 90-day mortality. The difference-in-differences for in-hospital mortality was not significant (P = .34) between expansion states (1.41% before the ACA to 0.77% after the ACA; 0.63 percentage point decrease; P = .004) and nonexpansion states (1.49% before the ACA to 1.20% after the ACA; 0.30 percentage point decrease; P = .29). Conclusions and Relevance In this cohort study of patients with NSCLC, Medicaid expansion was associated with declines in 30- and 90-day postoperative mortality following hospital discharge. These findings suggest that Medicaid expansion may be an effective strategy for improving access to care and cancer outcomes in this population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leticia M. Nogueira
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Daniel J. Boffa
- Division of Thoracic Surgery, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Ahmedin Jemal
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Xuesong Han
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - K. Robin Yabroff
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia
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22
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Nogueira LM, Schafer EJ, Fan Q, Wagle NS, Zhao J, Shi KS, Han X, Jemal A, Yabroff KR. Assessment of Changes in Cancer Treatment During the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic in the US. JAMA Oncol 2024; 10:109-114. [PMID: 37943539 PMCID: PMC10636648 DOI: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2023.4513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023]
Abstract
Importance The COVID-19 pandemic led to disruptions in access to health care, including cancer care. The extent of changes in receipt of cancer treatment is unclear. Objective To evaluate changes in the absolute number, proportion, and cancer treatment modalities provided to patients with newly diagnosed cancer during 2020, the first year of the pandemic. Design, Setting, and Participants In this cohort study, adults aged 18 years and older diagnosed with any solid tumor between January 1, 2018, and December 31, 2020, were identified using the National Cancer Database. Data analysis was conducted from September 19, 2022, to July 28, 2023. Exposure First year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Main Outcomes and Measures The expected number of procedures for each treatment modality (surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and hormonal therapy) in 2020 were calculated using historical data (January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2019) with the vector autoregressive method. The difference between expected and observed numbers was evaluated using a generalized estimating equation under assumptions of the Poisson distribution for count data. Changes in the proportion of different types of cancer treatments initiated in 2020 were evaluated using the additive outlier method. Results A total of 3 504 342 patients (1 214 918 in 2018, mean [SD] age, 64.6 [13.6] years; 1 235 584 in 2019, mean [SD] age, 64.8 [13.6] years; and 1 053 840 in 2020, mean [SD] age, 64.9 [13.6] years) were included. Compared with expected treatment from previous years' trends, there were approximately 98 000 fewer curative intent surgical procedures performed, 38 800 fewer chemotherapy regimens, 55 500 fewer radiotherapy regimens, 6800 fewer immunotherapy regimens, and 32 000 fewer hormonal therapies initiated in 2020. For most cancer sites and stages evaluated, there was no statistically significant change in the type of cancer treatment provided during the first year of the pandemic, the exception being a statistically significant decrease in the proportion of patients receiving breast-conserving surgery and radiotherapy with a simultaneous statistically significant increase in the proportion of patients undergoing mastectomy for treatment of stage I breast cancer during the first months of the pandemic. Conclusions and Relevance In this large national cohort study, a significant deficit was noted in the number of cancer treatments provided in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Data indicated that this deficit in the number of cancer treatments provided was associated with decreases in the number of cancer diagnoses, not changes in treatment strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leticia M. Nogueira
- Surveillance and Health Equity Sciences, American Cancer Society, Kennesaw, Georgia
| | - Elizabeth J. Schafer
- Surveillance and Health Equity Sciences, American Cancer Society, Kennesaw, Georgia
| | - Qinjin Fan
- Surveillance and Health Equity Sciences, American Cancer Society, Kennesaw, Georgia
| | - Nikita Sandeep Wagle
- Surveillance and Health Equity Sciences, American Cancer Society, Kennesaw, Georgia
| | - Jingxuan Zhao
- Surveillance and Health Equity Sciences, American Cancer Society, Kennesaw, Georgia
| | - Kewei Sylvia Shi
- Surveillance and Health Equity Sciences, American Cancer Society, Kennesaw, Georgia
| | - Xuesong Han
- Surveillance and Health Equity Sciences, American Cancer Society, Kennesaw, Georgia
| | - Ahmedin Jemal
- Surveillance and Health Equity Sciences, American Cancer Society, Kennesaw, Georgia
| | - K. Robin Yabroff
- Surveillance and Health Equity Sciences, American Cancer Society, Kennesaw, Georgia
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23
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Cross SH, Yabroff KR, Yeager KA, Curseen KA, Quest TE, Kamal A, Zarrabi AJ, Kavalieratos D. Social Deprivation and End-of-Life Care Use Among Adults With Cancer. JCO Oncol Pract 2024; 20:102-110. [PMID: 37983588 PMCID: PMC10827296 DOI: 10.1200/op.23.00420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2023] [Revised: 09/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Socioeconomic differences are partially responsible for racial inequities in cancer outcomes, yet the association of area-level socioeconomic disadvantage and race with end-of-life (EOL) cancer care quality is poorly understood. METHODS This retrospective study used electronic medical records from an academic health system to identify 33,635 adults with cancer who died between 2013 and 2019. Using multivariable logistic regression, we examined associations between decedent characteristics and EOL care, including emergency department (ED) visits, intensive care unit (ICU) stays, palliative care consultation (PCC), hospice order, and in-hospital deaths. Social deprivation index was used to measure socioeconomic disadvantages. RESULTS Racially minoritized decedents had higher odds of ICU stay than the least deprived White decedents (eg, other race Q3: aOR, 2.06 [99% CI, 1.26 to 0.3.39]). White and Black decedents from more deprived areas had lower odds of ED visit (White Q3: aOR, 0.382 [99% CI, 0.263 to 0.556]; Black Q3: aOR, 0.566 [99% CI, 0.373 to 0.858]) than least deprived White decedents. Compared with White decedents living in least deprived areas, racially minoritized decedents had higher odds of receiving PCC and hospice order, whereas White decedents in most deprived areas had lower odds of PCC (aOR, 0.727 [99% CI, 0.592 to 0.893]) and hospice order (aOR, 0.845 [99% CI, 0.724 to 0.986]). Greater deprivation was associated with greater odds of hospital death relative to least deprived White decedents, but only among minoritized decedents (eg, Black Q4: aOR, 2.16 [99% CI, 1.82 to 2.56]). CONCLUSION Area-level socioeconomic disadvantage is not uniformly associated with poorer EOL cancer care, with differences among decedents of different racial groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah H. Cross
- Division of Palliative Medicine, Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
| | | | | | - Kimberly A. Curseen
- Division of Palliative Medicine, Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
| | - Tammie E. Quest
- Division of Palliative Medicine, Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
| | | | - Ali John Zarrabi
- Division of Palliative Medicine, Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
| | - Dio Kavalieratos
- Division of Palliative Medicine, Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
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24
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Zheng Z, Shi KS, Kamal A, Howard DH, Horný M, Richards TB, Ekwueme DU, Yabroff KR. Health-related quality of life among prostate cancer survivors with metastatic disease and non-metastatic disease and men without a cancer history in the USA. J Cancer Surviv 2023:10.1007/s11764-023-01509-8. [PMID: 38102521 DOI: 10.1007/s11764-023-01509-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Few studies have comprehensively compared health-related quality of life (HRQoL) between metastatic prostate cancer survivors, survivors with non-metastatic disease, and men without a cancer history. METHODS We used the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare Health Outcomes Survey (SEER-MHOS) data linkage to identify men aged ≥ 65 years enrolled in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans. Prostate cancer survivors were diagnosed between 1988 and 2017 and completed MHOS surveys between 1998 and 2019. We analyzed data from 752 metastatic prostate cancer survivors (1040 survey records), 19,583 localized or regional prostate cancer survivors (non-metastatic; 30,121 survey records), and 784,305 men aged ≥ 65 years without a cancer history in the same SEER regions (1.15 million survey records). We used clustered linear regressions to compare HRQoL measures at the person-level using the Veterans RAND 12 Item Health Survey (VR-12) T-scores for general health and physical and mental component summaries. RESULTS Compared to men without a cancer history, prostate cancer survivors were older, more likely to be married, and had higher socioeconomic status. Compared to men without a cancer history, metastatic prostate cancer survivors reported lower general health (T-score differences [95% confidence interval]: - 6.26, [- 7.14, - 5.38], p < .001), physical health (- 4.33, [- 5.18, - 3.48], p < .001), and mental health (- 2.64, [- 3.40, - 1.88], p < .001) component summaries. Results were similar for other VR-12 T-scores. In contrast, non-metastatic prostate cancer survivors reported similar VR-12 T-scores as men without a cancer history. Further analyses comparing metastatic and non-metastatic prostate cancer survivors support these findings. CONCLUSION Interventions to improve health-related quality of life for men diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer merit additional investigation. IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS Interventions to improve health-related quality of life for metastatic prostate cancer survivors merit additional investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Arif Kamal
- American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - David H Howard
- Emory University Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Michal Horný
- Emory University Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
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25
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Jiang C, Yabroff KR, Han X. Response to Lin and Lin. J Natl Cancer Inst 2023; 115:1631-1632. [PMID: 37707530 DOI: 10.1093/jnci/djad195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 09/15/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Changchuan Jiang
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - K Robin Yabroff
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Xuesong Han
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA, USA
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26
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Timbie JW, Reynolds KA, Evans EL, Brown DS, Cohen JW, Darien G, DeVoe JE, Grosse SD, Holve E, Meltzer DO, Merritt JG, Neumann PJ, Yabroff KR, Smith SR. Advancing Data Capacity for Economic Outcomes in Patient-Centered Outcomes Research: Challenges and Opportunities. Med Care 2023; 61:S161-S165. [PMID: 37963036 PMCID: PMC10635327 DOI: 10.1097/mlr.0000000000001901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Emily L. Evans
- US Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, Washington, DC
| | - Derek S. Brown
- Brown School, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
| | - Joel W. Cohen
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD
| | - Gwen Darien
- National Patient Advocate Foundation, Washington, DC
| | - Jennifer E. DeVoe
- Department of Family Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR
| | - Scott D. Grosse
- National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
| | - Erin Holve
- Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute, Washington, DC
| | - David O. Meltzer
- Departments of Economics and Medicine, University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy, Chicago, IL
| | | | | | | | - Scott R. Smith
- US Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, Washington, DC
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27
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Halpern MT, Ekwueme DU, Yabroff KR. Enhancing Cancer Economic Data Resources: The Interagency Consortium to Promote Health Economics Research on Cancer (HEROiC). Med Care 2023; 61:S109-S115. [PMID: 37963029 PMCID: PMC10635328 DOI: 10.1097/mlr.0000000000001905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cancer diagnosis and treatment can substantially affect health and financial outcomes for patients and families. Research in health care delivery across the cancer control continuum includes diverse activities led by multiple government and private sector organizations. Assessing the economic drivers and influencing factors associated with costs across this continuum is challenging as organizations leading research efforts often do not have forums to share data, develop linkages, and explore collaborative opportunities. OBJECTIVE To describe the objectives, activities, and goals of the Interagency Consortium to Promote Health Economics Research on Cancer (HEROiC) to strengthen data resources and capacity for collaborative patient-focused cancer health economics research. MAIN ARGUMENT HEROiC's goals include assessing the economic burden of cancer; examining the effects of policies, health care setting/system factors, and health service delivery approaches across the cancer control continuum; and enhancing collaborations among researchers and organizations. CONCLUSIONS Data resources to study economic outcomes associated with cancer control are highly fragmented; HEROIC provides a forum to collaboratively develop, enhance, and utilize data resources and infrastructure for patient-centered cancer health economics research. This includes sharing data resources, developing linkages, identifying new data collection venues, and creating and supporting the dissemination of evidence-based information to diverse stakeholders. These efforts provide critical information to address the economic burden of cancer. RELEVANCE TO THE SPECIAL ISSUE Cancer diagnosis and treatment affect patient health and financial outcomes. This commentary describes how HEROiC will enhance research data infrastructure and collaborations to support patient-centered research with the goal of reducing the economic burden of cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael T. Halpern
- Healthcare Delivery Research Program, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD
| | - Donatus U. Ekwueme
- Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
| | - K. Robin Yabroff
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA
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28
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Nathan PC, Yabroff KR. The long economic shadow of a cancer diagnosis during adolescence or young adulthood. J Natl Cancer Inst 2023; 115:1237-1239. [PMID: 37459143 DOI: 10.1093/jnci/djad114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2023] [Accepted: 06/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/11/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Paul C Nathan
- Division of Haematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - K Robin Yabroff
- Surveillance and Health Services Research Program, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA, USA
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29
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Buchbinder D, Bhatt NS, Wang H, Yasui Y, Armenian S, Bhatia S, Chow EJ, Huang IC, Kirchoff AC, Leisenring W, Park ER, Yabroff KR, Armstrong GT, Nathan PC, Khera N. Financial Hardship in Childhood Cancer Survivors Treated with Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation: A Report from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study. Transplant Cell Ther 2023; 29:705.e1-705.e9. [PMID: 37541329 PMCID: PMC10834839 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtct.2023.07.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2023] [Revised: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 07/30/2023] [Indexed: 08/06/2023]
Abstract
Long-term survivors of childhood cancer are at risk for financial hardship. However, it is not known if HCT leads to an incremental change in financial hardship for survivors who received it versus those who did not. We examined financial outcomes among adult survivors of childhood cancer who had undergone HCT. Using a cross-sectional survey in the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study population between 2017 and 2019, self-reported financial hardship was compared between survivors who received HCT, survivors treated without HCT ("non-HCT"), and siblings and categorized into 3 domains: material hardship/financial sacrifices, behavioral, and psychological hardship. The standardized score of each domain of financial hardship was calculated by adding the item responses and dividing by the standard deviation among siblings. Multivariable linear and logistic regression were used to evaluate associations between sociodemographic characteristics, cancer diagnosis, post-treatment complications, and financial hardship among survivors. The mean adjusted score for each hardship domain was not significantly different between HCT survivors (n = 133) and non-HCT survivors (n = 2711); mean differences were .18 (95% confidence interval [CI], -.05 to .41) for material hardship/financial sacrifices, .07 (95% CI, -.18 to .32) for behavioral hardship, and .19 (95% CI, -.04 to .42) for psychological hardship. Within specific items, a higher proportion of survivors treated with HCT reported greater financial hardship compared to non-HCT survivors. HCT survivors also had significantly higher mean domain scores compared to sibling controls (n = 1027) in all domains. Household income and chronic health conditions, but not HCT, were associated with financial hardship among all survivors. Adult survivors of childhood cancer treated with HCT do not report greater overall financial hardship compared to non-HCT survivors but do report greater overall financial hardship compared to sibling controls. Surveillance and intervention may be necessary for all survivors regardless of HCT status.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Buchbinder
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, California; Division of Hematology, Oncology at Children's Hospital of Orange County, Orange, California.
| | - Neel S Bhatt
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, Washington
| | - Huiqi Wang
- Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Yutaka Yasui
- Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Saro Armenian
- Department of Pediatrics, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, California
| | - Smita Bhatia
- Institute for Cancer Outcomes and Survivorship, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama
| | - Eric J Chow
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, Washington
| | - I-Chan Huang
- Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Anne C Kirchoff
- Cancer Control and Population Sciences, Huntsman Cancer Institute, Salt Lake City, Utah; Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah
| | - Wendy Leisenring
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, Washington
| | - Elyse R Park
- Mongan Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - K Robin Yabroff
- Surveillane and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Gregory T Armstrong
- Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Paul C Nathan
- Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, The University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Division of Hematology, Oncology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Nandita Khera
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Mayo Clinic, Phoenix, Arizona
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30
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Horný M, Yabroff KR, Filson CP, Zheng Z, Ekwueme DU, Richards TB, Howard DH. The cost burden of metastatic prostate cancer in the US populations covered by employer-sponsored health insurance. Cancer 2023; 129:3252-3262. [PMID: 37329254 PMCID: PMC10527879 DOI: 10.1002/cncr.34905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Revised: 05/12/2023] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Recent advancements in the clinical management of metastatic prostate cancer include several costly therapies and diagnostic tests. The objective of this study was to provide updated information on the cost to payers attributable to metastatic prostate cancer among men aged 18 to 64 years with employer-sponsored health plans and men aged 18 years or older covered by employer-sponsored Medicare supplement insurance. METHODS By using Merative MarketScan commercial and Medicare supplemental data for 2009-2019, the authors calculated differences in spending between men with metastatic prostate cancer and their matched, prostate cancer-free controls, adjusting for age, enrollment length, comorbidities, and inflation to 2019 US dollars. RESULTS The authors compared 9011 patients who had metastatic prostate cancer and were covered by commercial insurance plans with a group of 44,934 matched controls and also compared 17,899 patients who had metastatic prostate cancer and were covered by employer-sponsored Medicare supplement plans with a group of 87,884 matched controls. The mean age of patients with metastatic prostate cancer was 58.5 years in the commercial samples and 77.8 years in the Medicare supplement samples. Annual spending attributable to metastatic prostate cancer was $55,949 per person-year (95% confidence interval [CI], $54,074-$57,825 per person-year) in the commercial population and $43,682 per person-year (95% CI, $42,022-$45,342 per person-year) in the population covered by Medicare supplement plans, both in 2019 US dollars. CONCLUSIONS The cost burden attributable to metastatic prostate cancer exceeds $55,000 per person-year among men with employer-sponsored health insurance and $43,000 among those covered by employer-sponsored Medicare supplement plans. These estimates can improve the precision of value assessments of clinical and policy approaches to the prevention, screening, and treatment of prostate cancer in the United States.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michal Horný
- School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - K. Robin Yabroff
- Health Services Research, and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Christopher P. Filson
- School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Winship Cancer Institute, Emory Healthcare, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Urology Service Line, Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Decatur, Georgia, USA
| | - Zhiyuan Zheng
- Health Services Research, and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Donatus U. Ekwueme
- Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | | | - David H. Howard
- Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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31
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Bradley CJ, Zhao J, Shih YCT, Yabroff KR. Mass incarceration and cancer health disparities in the United States: reimagining models of care delivery. J Natl Cancer Inst 2023; 115:1121-1124. [PMID: 37550255 DOI: 10.1093/jnci/djad136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 07/09/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Cathy J Bradley
- Department of Health Systems, Management, and Policy, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado Comprehensive Cancer Center, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Jingxuan Zhao
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science Department, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Ya-Chen Tina Shih
- Department of Radiation Oncology, School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - K Robin Yabroff
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science Department, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA, USA
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Yabroff KR, Boehm AL, Nogueira LM, Sherman M, Bradley CJ, Shih YCT, Keating NL, Gomez SL, Banegas MP, Ambs S, Hershman DL, Yu JB, Riaz N, Stockler MR, Chen RC, Franco EL. An essential goal within reach: attaining diversity, equity, and inclusion for the Journal of the National Cancer Institute journals. J Natl Cancer Inst 2023; 115:1115-1120. [PMID: 37806780 DOI: 10.1093/jnci/djad177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- K Robin Yabroff
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science Department, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | | | - Leticia M Nogueira
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science Department, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Mark Sherman
- Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Cathy J Bradley
- University of Colorado Comprehensive Cancer Center and Colorado School of Public Health, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Ya-Chen Tina Shih
- University of California Los Angeles Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center and Department of Radiation Oncology, School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Nancy L Keating
- Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, and Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Scarlett L Gomez
- Department of Urology and Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Matthew P Banegas
- Department of Radiation Medicine and Applied Sciences, University of California at San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Stefan Ambs
- Laboratory of Human Carcinogenesis, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Dawn L Hershman
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - James B Yu
- Department of Radiation Oncology, St. Francis Hospital and Trinity Health of New England, Hartford, CT, USA
| | - Nadeem Riaz
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Martin R Stockler
- National Health and Medical Research Council Clinical Trials Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wells, Australia
| | - Ronald C Chen
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA
| | - Eduardo L Franco
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
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Bradley CJ, Yabroff KR, Shih YCT. Discarded Targeted Oral Anticancer Medication-A Hard Pill to Swallow? JAMA Oncol 2023; 9:1202-1204. [PMID: 37471094 DOI: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2023.2226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/21/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Cathy J Bradley
- University of Colorado Comprehensive Cancer Center and Colorado School of Public Health, Aurora
| | - K Robin Yabroff
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science Department, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Ya-Chen Tina Shih
- Section of Cancer Economics and Policy, Department of Health Services Research, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston
- University of California-Los Angeles Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center and UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles
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Halpern MT, de Moor JS, Han X, Zhao J, Zheng Z, Yabroff KR. Association of Employment Disruptions and Financial Hardship Among Individuals Diagnosed with Cancer in the United States: Findings from a Nationally Representative Study. Cancer Res Commun 2023; 3:1830-1839. [PMID: 37705562 PMCID: PMC10496757 DOI: 10.1158/2767-9764.crc-23-0157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2023] [Revised: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 09/15/2023]
Abstract
Financial hardship (FH), defined as adverse patient effects due to cancer costs, is experienced by approximately half of individuals diagnosed with cancer. Many individuals diagnosed with cancer also experience disruptions with their employment. This study examines associations of employment disruptions and FH among a nationally representative sample of individuals diagnosed with cancer in the United States. We utilized 2016/2017 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Experiences with Cancer data from individuals who worked for pay following cancer diagnosis. Employment disruption included taking extended paid time off work; switching to part-time/less demanding jobs; and/or retiring early due to cancer diagnosis/treatment. FH domains included: material (e.g., borrowing money/financial sacrifices); psychologic (e.g., worrying about medical bills/income); and behavioral (delaying/forgoing healthcare services because of cost). Multivariable logistic regression analyses determined associations of employment disruption and FH. Among 732 individuals with a cancer history, 47.4% experienced employment disruptions; 55.9% experienced any FH. Any FH was significantly more common among individuals with versus without employment disruptions across multiple measures and domains (68.7% vs. 44.5%; P value of difference <0.0001). Individuals with employment disruptions were more likely to have any FH [OR, 2.38; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.62-3.52] and more FHs (OR, 2.76; 95% CI, 1.96-3.89]. This study highlights that employment disruptions are common and significantly associated with multiple domains of FH among individuals with a cancer history. Employer workplace accommodation, physician discussions regarding potential impacts of cancer care on employment, and other policies to minimize employment disruptions among individuals diagnosed with cancer may reduce FH in this vulnerable population. Significance Individuals diagnosed with cancer may have employment disruptions; they may also develop FHs. People with cancer who have employment changes are more likely to also have FHs. Physicians and employers can help individuals with cancer through advancing planning, workplace assistance, and improved medical leave and insurance policies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Xuesong Han
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Jingxuan Zhao
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Zhiyuan Zheng
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - K. Robin Yabroff
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia
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Yabroff KR, Zhao J, Chen MH, Hoque J, Arias G, Han X, Zheng Z. Financial hardship and psychosocial well-being and quality of life among prostate cancer survivors in the United States. Urol Oncol 2023; 41:380-386. [PMID: 37202329 DOI: 10.1016/j.urolonc.2023.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2022] [Revised: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer diagnosis among men in the United States and the prevalence of prostate cancer survivors is growing. Cancer treatment and lasting or late effects of disease and treatment can adversely affect financial health, psychosocial well-being, and health-related quality of life for prostate cancer survivors, even many years after cancer diagnosis and treatment. These outcomes are important, especially because most men live for many years following a prostate cancer diagnosis. In this essay, we describe health care spending associated with prostate cancer, including patient out-of-pocket costs, and summarize research examining medical financial hardship and associations of financial hardship and psychosocial well-being and health-related quality of life among cancer survivors. We then discuss implications for health care delivery and opportunities to mitigate financial hardship for patients with prostate cancer and their families.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Robin Yabroff
- Department of Surveillance and Health Equity Sciences, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA.
| | - Jingxuan Zhao
- Department of Surveillance and Health Equity Sciences, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA
| | - Min Hsuan Chen
- Department of Surveillance and Health Equity Sciences, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA; Department of Public Policy, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, Washington, DC
| | - Jennifer Hoque
- Department of Public Policy, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, Washington, DC
| | - Gladys Arias
- Department of Public Policy, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, Washington, DC
| | - Xuesong Han
- Department of Surveillance and Health Equity Sciences, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA
| | - Zhiyuan Zheng
- Department of Surveillance and Health Equity Sciences, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA
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Yabroff KR, Boehm AL, Nogueira LM, Sherman M, Bradley CJ, Shih YCT, Keating NL, Gomez SL, Banegas MP, Ambs S, Hershman DL, Yu JB, Riaz N, Stockler MR, Chen RC, Franco EL. An essential goal within reach: attaining diversity, equity, and inclusion for the Journal of the National Cancer Institute journals. JNCI Cancer Spectr 2023; 7:pkad063. [PMID: 37806772 PMCID: PMC10560610 DOI: 10.1093/jncics/pkad063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- K Robin Yabroff
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science Department, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | | | - Leticia M Nogueira
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science Department, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Mark Sherman
- Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Cathy J Bradley
- University of Colorado Comprehensive Cancer Center and Colorado School of Public Health, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Ya-Chen Tina Shih
- University of California Los Angeles Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center and Department of Radiation Oncology, School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Nancy L Keating
- Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, and Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Scarlett L Gomez
- Department of Urology and Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Matthew P Banegas
- Department of Radiation Medicine and Applied Sciences, University of California at San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Stefan Ambs
- Laboratory of Human Carcinogenesis, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Dawn L Hershman
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - James B Yu
- Department of Radiation Oncology, St. Francis Hospital and Trinity Health of New England, Hartford, CT, USA
| | - Nadeem Riaz
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Martin R Stockler
- National Health and Medical Research Council Clinical Trials Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wells, Australia
| | - Ronald C Chen
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA
| | - Eduardo L Franco
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
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Ji X, Shi KS, Ruddy KJ, Zhao J, Mertens AC, Yabroff KR, Castellino SM, Han X. Medicaid expansion is associated with treatment receipt, timeliness, and outcomes among young adults with breast cancer. JNCI Cancer Spectr 2023; 7:pkad067. [PMID: 37707583 PMCID: PMC10534051 DOI: 10.1093/jncics/pkad067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2023] [Revised: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Female breast cancer is a common cancer in young adults, an age group with the highest uninsured rate. Among 51 675 young adult women (ages 18-39 years) diagnosed with breast cancer between 2011 and 2018 in the National Cancer Database, we estimated changes in guideline-concordant treatment receipt, treatment timeliness, and survival associated with the Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion. Of young adults with stage I-III estrogen receptor-positive or progesterone receptor-positive breast cancer, Medicaid expansion was associated with a net increase of 2.42 percentage points (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.56 to 4.28 percentage points) in the percentage receiving endocrine therapy. Among all young adults with stage I-III breast cancer, Medicaid expansion was associated with a net reduction of 1.65 percentage points (95% CI = 0.08 to 3.22 percentage points) in treatment delays defined as treatment initiation of at least 60 days after diagnosis and a net increase of 1.00 percentage points (95% CI = 0.21 to 1.79 percentage points) in 2-year overall survival. Our study provides evidence of benefit in cancer care and outcomes from Medicaid expansion among the young adult population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xu Ji
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Aflac Cancer & Blood Disorders Center, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Kewei Sylvia Shi
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | | | - Jingxuan Zhao
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Ann C Mertens
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Aflac Cancer & Blood Disorders Center, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Emory Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - K Robin Yabroff
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Sharon M Castellino
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Aflac Cancer & Blood Disorders Center, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Xuesong Han
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA, USA
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Barnes JM, Kirchhoff AC, Yabroff KR, Chino F. State policies regulating short-term limited duration insurance plans and cancer stage at diagnosis. JNCI Cancer Spectr 2023; 7:pkad060. [PMID: 37572315 PMCID: PMC10471520 DOI: 10.1093/jncics/pkad060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2023] [Revised: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 08/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Short-term limited duration insurance plans, which proliferated following 2018 federal regulations, may not provide adequate protections for patients with suspected or newly diagnosed cancer and can destabilize insurance markets for comprehensive insurance plan enrollees. Individuals aged 18-64 years with newly diagnosed cancer from 11 states during 2016-2017 and 2019 were identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program. Difference-in-differences analyses were used to compare changes in early-stage cancer diagnoses from 2016-2017 to 2019 in states that prohibited vs did not regulate short-term limited duration insurance plans. In adjusted difference-in-differences analyses, early-stage diagnoses increased 0.95 percentage points (95% confidence interval = 0.53 to 1.38, P < .001) in states that prohibited short-term limited duration insurance plans vs did not regulate short-term limited duration insurance plans. State policies resulting in unavailability of short-term limited duration insurance plans were associated with an increased percentage of early-stage diagnoses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin M Barnes
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Anne C Kirchhoff
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
- Huntsman Cancer Institute, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - K Robin Yabroff
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Fumiko Chino
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
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Barnes JM, Johnson KJ, Osazuwa-Peters N, Yabroff KR, Chino F. Changes in cancer mortality after Medicaid expansion and the role of stage at diagnosis. J Natl Cancer Inst 2023; 115:962-970. [PMID: 37202350 PMCID: PMC10407703 DOI: 10.1093/jnci/djad094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Revised: 05/12/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 05/20/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Medicaid expansion is associated with improved survival following cancer diagnosis. However, little research has assessed how changes in cancer stage may mediate improved cancer mortality or how expansion may have decreased population-level cancer mortality rates. METHODS Nationwide state-level cancer data from 2001 to 2019 for individuals ages 20-64 years were obtained from the combined Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results National Program of Cancer Registries (incidence) and the National Center for Health Statistics (mortality) databases. We estimated changes in distant stage cancer incidence and cancer mortality rates from pre- to post-2014 in expansion vs nonexpansion states using generalized estimating equations with robust standard errors. Mediation analyses were used to assess whether distant stage cancer incidence mediated changes in cancer mortality. RESULTS There were 17 370 state-level observations. For all cancers combined, there were Medicaid expansion-associated decreases in distant stage cancer incidence (adjusted odds ratio = 0.967, 95% confidence interval = 0.943 to 0.992; P = .01) and cancer mortality (adjusted odds ratio = 0.965, 95% confidence interval = 0.936 to 0.995; P = .022). This translates to 2591 averted distant stage cancer diagnoses and 1616 averted cancer deaths in the Medicaid expansion states. Distant stage cancer incidence mediated 58.4% of expansion-associated changes in cancer mortality overall (P = .008). By cancer site subgroups, there were expansion-associated decreases in breast, cervix, and liver cancer mortality. CONCLUSIONS Medicaid expansion was associated with decreased distant stage cancer incidence and cancer mortality. Approximately 60% of the expansion-associated changes in cancer mortality overall were mediated by distant stage diagnoses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin M Barnes
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | | | - Nosayaba Osazuwa-Peters
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Duke Cancer Institute, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - K Robin Yabroff
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Fumiko Chino
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Affordability Working Group, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
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40
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Han X, Yang NN, Nogueira L, Jiang C, Wagle NS, Zhao J, Shi KS, Fan Q, Schafer E, Yabroff KR, Jemal A. Changes in cancer diagnoses and stage distribution during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in the USA: a cross-sectional nationwide assessment. Lancet Oncol 2023; 24:855-867. [PMID: 37541271 DOI: 10.1016/s1470-2045(23)00293-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Revised: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 06/14/2023] [Indexed: 08/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The emergence of COVID-19 disrupted health care, with consequences for cancer diagnoses and outcomes, especially for early stage diagnoses, which generally have favourable prognoses. We aimed to examine nationwide changes in adult cancer diagnoses and stage distribution during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic by cancer type and key sociodemographic factors in the USA. METHODS In this cross-sectional study, adults (aged ≥18 years) newly diagnosed with a first primary malignant cancer between Jan 1, 2018, and Dec 31, 2020, were identified from the US National Cancer Database. We included individuals across 50 US states and the District of Columbia who were treated in hospitals that were Commission on Cancer-accredited during the study period. Individuals whose cancer stage was 0 (except for bladder cancer), occult, or without an applicable American Joint Committee on Cancer staging scheme were excluded. Our primary outcomes were the change in the number and the change in the stage distribution of new cancer diagnoses between 2019 (Jan 1 to Dec 31) and 2020 (Jan 1 to Dec 31). Monthly counts and stage distributions were calculated for all cancers combined and for major cancer types. We also calculated annual change in stage distribution from 2019 to 2020 and adjusted odds ratios (aORs) using multivariable logistic regression, adjusted for age group, sex, race and ethnicity, health insurance status, comorbidity score, US state, zip code-level social deprivation index, and county-level age-adjusted COVID-19 mortality in 2020. Separate models were stratified by sociodemographic and clinical factors. FINDINGS We identified 2 404 050 adults who were newly diagnosed with cancer during the study period (830 528 in 2018, 849 290 in 2019, and 724 232 in 2020). Mean age was 63·5 years (SD 13·5) and 1 287 049 (53·5%) individuals were women, 1 117 001 (46·5%) were men, and 1 814 082 (75·5%) were non-Hispanic White. The monthly number of new cancer diagnoses (all stages) decreased substantially after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March, 2020, although monthly counts returned to near pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2020. The decrease in diagnoses was largest for stage I disease, leading to lower odds of being diagnosed with stage I disease in 2020 than in 2019 (aOR 0·946 [95% CI 0·939-0·952] for stage I vs stage II-IV); whereas, the odds of being diagnosed with stage IV disease were higher in 2020 than in 2019 (1·074 [1·066-1·083] for stage IV vs stage I-III). This pattern was observed in most cancer types and sociodemographic groups, although was most prominent among Hispanic individuals (0·922 [0·899-0·946] for stage I; 1·110 [1·077-1·144] for stage IV), Asian American and Pacific Islander individuals (0·924 [0·892-0·956] for stage I; 1·096 [1·052-1·142] for stage IV), uninsured individuals (0·917 [0·875-0·961] for stage I; 1·102 [1·055-1·152] for stage IV), Medicare-insured adults younger than 65 years (0·909 [0·882-0·937] for stage I; 1·105 [1·068-1·144] for stage IV), and individuals living in the most socioeconomically deprived areas (0·931 [0·917-0·946] for stage I; 1·106 [1·087-1·125] for stage IV). INTERPRETATION Substantial cancer underdiagnosis and decreases in the proportion of early stage diagnoses occurred during 2020 in the USA, particularly among medically underserved individuals. Monitoring the long-term effects of the pandemic on morbidity, survival, and mortality is warranted. FUNDING None.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuesong Han
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Kennesaw, GA, USA.
| | - Nuo Nova Yang
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Kennesaw, GA, USA
| | - Leticia Nogueira
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Kennesaw, GA, USA
| | - Changchuan Jiang
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Nikita Sandeep Wagle
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Kennesaw, GA, USA
| | - Jingxuan Zhao
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Kennesaw, GA, USA
| | - Kewei Sylvia Shi
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Kennesaw, GA, USA
| | - Qinjin Fan
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Kennesaw, GA, USA
| | - Elizabeth Schafer
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Kennesaw, GA, USA
| | - K Robin Yabroff
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Kennesaw, GA, USA
| | - Ahmedin Jemal
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Kennesaw, GA, USA
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Zhao J, Yabroff KR. High out‑of‑pocket spending and financial hardship at the end of life among cancer survivors and their families. Isr J Health Policy Res 2023; 12:24. [PMID: 37415261 DOI: 10.1186/s13584-023-00572-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer is one of the most expensive medical conditions to treat worldwide, affecting national and local spending, as well as household budgets for patients and their families. In this commentary about a recent paper from Tur‑Sinai et al., we discuss the high out-of-pocket spending and medical and non-medical financial hardship faced by cancer patients and their families at the end-of-life in Israel. We provide recent information about the costs of health care in Israel and other high-income countries with (i.e., Canada, Australia, Japan, and Italy) and without universal health insurance coverage (i.e., United States, a country with high healthcare costs and uninsurance rate), and highlight the role of improving health insurance coverage and benefit design in reducing financial hardship among cancer patients and their families. Recognizing that financial hardship at the end of life affects both patients and their families, developing comprehensive programs and policies in Israel as well as in other countries is warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingxuan Zhao
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, 3380 Chastain Meadows Pkwy NW Suite 200, Kennesaw, GA, 30144, USA.
| | - K Robin Yabroff
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, 3380 Chastain Meadows Pkwy NW Suite 200, Kennesaw, GA, 30144, USA
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Jiang C, Yabroff KR, Deng L, Wang Q, Perimbeti S, Shapiro CL, Han X. Transportation barriers, emergency room use, and mortality risk among US adults by cancer history. J Natl Cancer Inst 2023; 115:815-821. [PMID: 37185777 PMCID: PMC10323887 DOI: 10.1093/jnci/djad050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2022] [Revised: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Lack of safe, reliable, and affordable transportation is a barrier to medical care, but little is known about its association with clinical outcomes. METHODS We identified 28 640 adults with and 470 024 adults without a cancer history from a nationally representative cohort (2000-2018 US National Health Interview Survey) and its linked mortality files with vital status through December 31, 2019. Transportation barriers were defined as delays in care because of lack of transportation. Multivariable logistic and Cox proportional hazards models estimated the associations of transportation barriers with emergency room (ER) use and mortality risk, respectively, adjusted for age, sex, race and ethnicity, education, health insurance, comorbidities, functional limitations, and region. RESULTS Of the adults, 2.8% (n = 988) and 1.7% (n = 9685) with and without a cancer history, respectively, reported transportation barriers; 7324 and 40 793 deaths occurred in adults with and without cancer history, respectively. Adults with a cancer history and transportation barriers, as compared with adults without a cancer history or transportation barriers, had the highest likelihood of ER use (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.77, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.34 to 3.27) and all-cause mortality risk (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] = 2.28, 95% CI = 1.94 to 2.68), followed by adults without a cancer history with transportation barriers (ER use aOR = 1.98, 95% CI =1.87 to 2.10; all-cause mortality aHR = 1.57, 95% CI = 1.46 to 1.70) and adults with a cancer history but without transportation barriers (ER use aOR = 1.39, 95% CI = 1.34 to 1.44; all-cause mortality aHR = 1.59, 95% CI = 1.54 to 1.65). CONCLUSION Delayed care because of lack of transportation was associated with increased ER use and mortality risk among adults with and without cancer history. Cancer survivors with transportation barriers had the highest risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Changchuan Jiang
- Department of Medicine, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - K Robin Yabroff
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Lei Deng
- Department of Medicine, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Qian Wang
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Stuthi Perimbeti
- Department of Medicine, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Charles L Shapiro
- Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Xuesong Han
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA, USA
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43
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Han X, Shi KS, Zhao J, Nogueira L, Parikh RB, Kamal AH, Jemal A, Yabroff KR. Medicaid Expansion Associated With Increase In Palliative Care For People With Advanced-Stage Cancers. Health Aff (Millwood) 2023; 42:956-965. [PMID: 37406229 DOI: 10.1377/hlthaff.2023.00035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/07/2023]
Abstract
Clinical guidelines have endorsed early palliative care for patients with advanced malignancies, but receipt remains low in the US. This study examined the association between Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act and receipt of palliative care among patients newly diagnosed with advanced-stage cancers. Using the National Cancer Database, we found that the percentage of eligible patients who received palliative care as part of first-course treatment increased from 17.0 percent preexpansion to 18.9 percent postexpansion in Medicaid expansion states and from 15.7 percent to 16.7 percent, respectively, in nonexpansion states, resulting in a net increase of 1.3 percentage points in expansion states in adjusted analyses. Increases in receipt of palliative care associated with Medicaid expansion were largest for patients with advanced pancreatic, colorectal, lung, and oral cavity and pharynx cancers and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Our findings suggest that increasing Medicaid coverage facilitates access to guideline-based palliative care for advanced cancer, and they provide additional evidence of benefit in cancer care from states' expansion of income eligibility for Medicaid.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuesong Han
- Xuesong Han , American Cancer Society, Kennesaw, Georgia
| | | | | | | | - Ravi B Parikh
- Ravi B. Parikh, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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Zheng Z, Han X, Zhao J, Fan Q, Yabroff KR. Parental Cancer History and Its Association With Minor Children's Unmet Food, Housing, and Transportation Economic Needs. JAMA Netw Open 2023; 6:e2319359. [PMID: 37347484 PMCID: PMC10288335 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.19359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 04/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Importance A cancer diagnosis is associated with substantial economic burden for patients and their families. Young adult cancer survivors with dependent children may be particularly vulnerable to financial hardship. Objective To examine associations of parental cancer with their children's unmet economic needs. Design, Setting, and Participants This cross-sectional study used data from the nationally representative 2013 to 2018 US National Health Interview Survey. Children aged 5 to 17 years living in families with and without parental cancer history were queried about recent 1-year experiences. Statistical analyses were conducted from January 2022 to April 2023. Exposure Parental cancer history. Main Outcomes and Measures The main outcomes were children's unmet economic needs, including family-level food insecurity, parent's financial worry about paying for monthly bills and housing costs, and delayed child medical care owing to lack of transportation. Multivariable logistic regressions adjusted for (1) child's characteristics (ie, age group, sex, and race and ethnicity), (2) parent's characteristics (ie, age group, sex, health insurance coverage, comorbid conditions, and obesity status), and (3) family's characteristics (ie, family structure [married or cohabiting parents vs single parent families], highest educational attainment in the family, and family income). Additional analyses focused on children with a parental cancer history to identify potentially modifiable characteristics associated with unmet economic needs. Results In this cross-sectional study of 22 941 children with (812 children; weighted number, 860 488 children) and without (22 129 children; weighted number, 24 545 463 children) a parental cancer history, the majority of children were aged 5 to 11 years (12 022 children [52.4%]), male (11 920 children [52.0%]), and non-Hispanic White (11 863 children [51.7%]). In adjusted analyses, parental cancer history was associated with more severe family-level food insecurity, including worrying about food running out (odds ratio [OR], 1.97; 95% CI, 1.56-2.49; P < .001), food not lasting (OR, 2.01; 95% CI, 1.56-2.58; P < .001), and inability to afford balanced meals (OR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.06-1.79; P = .02). Moreover, parental cancer history was associated with parent's worry about paying monthly bills (OR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.15-1.74; P = .001) and housing-related costs (OR, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.07-1.60; P = .009) and delays in child medical care because of lack of transportation (OR, 2.31; 95% CI, 1.49-3.59; P < .001). Among children with parental cancer history, female children, non-Hispanic Black children, children whose parents had multiple comorbidities, and children living in low-income families were especially vulnerable to unmet economic needs. Conclusions and Relevance Parental cancer is associated with greater likelihood of food insecurity, unaffordability of housing and other necessities, and transportation barriers to medical care for minor children. Strategies to identify such children and address their needs are warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiyuan Zheng
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Xuesong Han
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Jingxuan Zhao
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Qinjin Fan
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - K. Robin Yabroff
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia
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Shih YCT, Bradley C, Yabroff KR. Ecological and individualistic fallacies in health disparities research. J Natl Cancer Inst 2023; 115:488-491. [PMID: 36912704 PMCID: PMC10165478 DOI: 10.1093/jnci/djad047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2023] [Accepted: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/14/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Ya-Chen Tina Shih
- Section of Cancer Economics and Policy, Department of Health Services Research, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Cathy Bradley
- University of Colorado Comprehensive Cancer Center and Department of Health Systems, Management & Policy, Colorado School of Public Health, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - K Robin Yabroff
- Department of Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA, USA
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46
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Star J, Bandi P, Nargis N, Islami F, Yabroff KR, Minihan AK, Smith RA, Jemal A. Updated Review of Major Cancer Risk Factors and Screening Test Use in the United States, with a Focus on Changes During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2023:726148. [PMID: 37129858 DOI: 10.1158/1055-9965.epi-23-0114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2023] [Revised: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023] Open
Abstract
We present national and state representative prevalence estimates of modifiable cancer risk factors, preventive behaviors and services, and screening, with a focus on changes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Between 2019 and 2021, current smoking, physical inactivity, and heavy alcohol consumption declined, and human papillomavirus vaccination and stool testing for colorectal cancer screening uptake increased. In contrast, obesity prevalence increased, while fruit consumption and cervical cancer screening declined during the same timeframe. Favorable and unfavorable trends were evident during the 2nd year of the COVID-19 pandemic that must be monitored as more years of consistent data are collected. Yet disparities by racial/ethnic and socioeconomic status persisted, highlighting the continued need for interventions to address suboptimal levels among these population subgroups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Star
- American Cancer Society, Kennesaw, Georgia, United States
| | - Priti Bandi
- American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Nigar Nargis
- American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA, United States
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47
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Zhao J, Han X, Miller KD, Zheng Z, Nogueira L, Islami F, Jemal A, Yabroff KR. Association of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Changes in Patterns of Cancer-Related Mortality in the United States. JCO Oncol Pract 2023:OP2200522. [PMID: 37040580 DOI: 10.1200/op.22.00522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/13/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE This study examined changes in patterns of cancer-related deaths during the first year of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic in the United States. METHODS We identified cancer-related deaths, defined as deaths attributable to cancer as the primary cause (underlying cause) or deaths with cancer documented as one of the multiple contributing factors (contributing cause) from the Multiple Cause of Death database (2015-2020). We compared age-standardized cancer-related annual and monthly mortality rates for January-December 2020 (first pandemic year) to January-December 2015-2019 (prepandemic) overall and stratified by sex, race/ethnicity, urban rural residence, and place of death. RESULTS We found that the death rate (per 100,000 person-years) with cancer as the underlying cause was lower in 2020 compared with 2019 (144.1 v 146.2), continuing the past trend observed in 2015-2019. By contrast, the death rate with cancer as a contributing cause was higher in 2020 than in 2019 (164.1 v 162.0), reversing the continuously decreasing trend from 2015 to 2019. We projected 19,703 more deaths with cancer as a contributing cause than expected on the basis of historical trends. Mirroring pandemic peaks, the monthly death rates with cancer as a contributing cause first increased in April 2020 (rate ratio [RR], 1.03; 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.04), subsequently declined in May and June 2020, and then increased again each month from July through December 2020 compared with 2019, with the highest RR in December (RR, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.06 to 1.08). CONCLUSION Death rates with cancer as the underlying cause continued to decrease in 2020 despite the increase in death rates with cancer as a contributing cause in 2020. Ongoing monitoring of long-term cancer-related mortality trends is warranted to assess effects of delays in cancer diagnosis and receipt of care during the pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingxuan Zhao
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA
| | - Xuesong Han
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA
| | - Kimberly D Miller
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA
| | - Zhiyuan Zheng
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA
| | - Leticia Nogueira
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA
| | - Farhad Islami
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA
| | - Ahmedin Jemal
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA
| | - K Robin Yabroff
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA
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Nogueira LM, Palis B, Boffa D, Lum S, Yabroff KR, Nelson H. ASO Visual Abstract: Evaluation of the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Reliability of Cancer Surveillance Data in the National Cancer Database. Ann Surg Oncol 2023; 30:2094. [PMID: 36689031 PMCID: PMC9869810 DOI: 10.1245/s10434-022-13022-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Leticia M Nogueira
- Surveillance and Health Equity Sciences, American Cancer Society, Kennesaw, GA, USA.
| | - Bryan Palis
- Commission on Cancer, American College of Surgeons, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Daniel Boffa
- Division of Thoracic Surgery, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Sharon Lum
- Department of Surgery, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, CA, USA
| | - K Robin Yabroff
- Surveillance and Health Equity Sciences, American Cancer Society, Kennesaw, GA, USA
| | - Heidi Nelson
- Commission on Cancer, American College of Surgeons, Chicago, IL, USA
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49
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Nogueira LM, Palis B, Boffa D, Lum S, Yabroff KR, Nelson H. Evaluation of the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Reliability of Cancer Surveillance Data in the National Cancer Database. Ann Surg Oncol 2023; 30:2087-2093. [PMID: 36539579 PMCID: PMC9767395 DOI: 10.1245/s10434-022-12935-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE This study evaluated the reliability of cancer cases reported to the National Cancer Database (NCDB) during 2020, the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS Total number of cancer cases reported to the NCDB between January 2018 and December 2020 were calculated for all cancers and 21 selected cancer sites. The additive outlier method was used to identify structural breaks in trends compared with previous years. The difference between expected (estimated using the vector autoregressive method) and observed number of cases diagnosed in 2020 was estimated using generalized estimating equation under assumptions of the Poisson distribution for count data. Interrupted time series analysis was used to compare changes in the number of records processed by registrars each month of 2020. All models accounted for seasonality, regional variation, and random error. RESULTS There was a statistically significant decrease (structural break) in the number of cases diagnosed in April 2020, with no recovery in number of cases during subsequent months, leading to a 12.4% deficit in the number of cases diagnosed during the first year of the pandemic. While the number of cancer records initiated by cancer registrars also decreased, the number of records marked completed increased during the first months of the pandemic. CONCLUSION There was a significant deficit in the number of cancer diagnoses in 2020 that was not due to cancer registrars' inability to extract data during the pandemic. Future studies can use NCDB data to evaluate the impact of the pandemic on cancer care and outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leticia M Nogueira
- Surveillance and Health Equity Sciences, American Cancer Society, 3380 Chastain Meadows PKWY NW S200, Kennesaw, GA, USA.
| | - Bryan Palis
- Commission on Cancer, American College of Surgeons, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Daniel Boffa
- Division of Thoracic Surgery, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Sharon Lum
- Department of Surgery, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, CA, USA
| | - K Robin Yabroff
- Surveillance and Health Equity Sciences, American Cancer Society, 3380 Chastain Meadows PKWY NW S200, Kennesaw, GA, USA
| | - Heidi Nelson
- Commission on Cancer, American College of Surgeons, Chicago, IL, USA
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50
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Ji X, Shi KS, Mertens AC, Zhao J, Yabroff KR, Castellino SM, Han X. Survival in Young Adults With Cancer Is Associated With Medicaid Expansion Through the Affordable Care Act. J Clin Oncol 2023; 41:1909-1920. [PMID: 36525612 PMCID: PMC10082236 DOI: 10.1200/jco.22.01742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2022] [Revised: 10/26/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Medicaid expansion through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has been shown to improve insurance coverage and early diagnosis of cancer in young adults (YAs); whether these improvements translate to survival benefits remains unknown. We examined the association between Medicaid expansion under the ACA and 2-year overall survival among YAs with cancer. METHODS Using the National Cancer Database, we identified 345,413 YAs (age 18-39 years) diagnosed with cancer in 2010-2017. We applied the difference-in-differences (DD) method to estimate changes in 2-year overall survival after versus before Medicaid expansion in expansion versus nonexpansion states. RESULTS Among all YAs, 2-year overall survival increased more in expansion states (90.39% pre-expansion to 91.85% postexpansion) than in nonexpansion states (88.98% pre-expansion to 90.07% postexpansion), resulting in a net increase of 0.55 percentage points (ppt; 95% CI, 0.13 to 0.96). The expansion-associated survival benefit was concentrated in patients with female breast cancer (DD, 1.20 ppt; 95%CI, 0.27 to 2.12) when stratifying by cancer type and in patients with stage IV disease (DD, 2.56; 95%CI, 0.36 to 4.77) when stratifying by stage. In addition, greater survival benefit associated with Medicaid expansion was observed among racial and ethnic minoritized groups (DD, 1.01 ppt; 95% CI, 0.14 to 1.87) as compared with non-Hispanic White peers (DD, 0.41 ppt; 95% CI, -0.06 to 0.87) and among patients with a Charlson comorbidity score of ≥ 2 (DD, 6.48 ppt; 95% CI, 0.81 to 12.16) than those with a comorbidity score of 0 (DD, 0.44 ppt; 95% CI, 0.005 to 0.87). CONCLUSION Medicaid expansion under the ACA was associated with an improvement in overall survival among YAs with cancer, with survival benefits most pronounced among patients of under-represented race and ethnicity and patients with high-risk diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xu Ji
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
- Aflac Cancer & Blood Disorders Center, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA
| | - Kewei Sylvia Shi
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA
| | - Ann C. Mertens
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
- Aflac Cancer & Blood Disorders Center, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA
- Department of Epidemiology, Emory University Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA
| | - Jingxuan Zhao
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA
| | - K. Robin Yabroff
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA
| | - Sharon M. Castellino
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
- Aflac Cancer & Blood Disorders Center, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA
| | - Xuesong Han
- Surveillance and Health Equity Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA
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