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Wu XC, Yu Q, Yi Y, Maniscalco LS, Hsieh MC, Gruber D, Mendoza L, Subbiah S, Sokol T, Shrestha P, Chen VW, Mederos ET, Ochoa A. Effect of chronic disease on racial difference in COVID-19-associated hospitalization among cancer patients. J Natl Cancer Inst 2023; 115:1204-1212. [PMID: 37697664 PMCID: PMC10560601 DOI: 10.1093/jnci/djad150] [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: 04/24/2023] [Revised: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Research indicates that Black cancer patients have higher rates of COVID-19 hospitalization than their White counterparts. However, the extent to which chronic diseases contribute to racial disparities remains uncertain. We aimed to quantify the effect of chronic diseases on racial disparity in COVID-19-associated hospitalization among cancer patients. METHODS We linked Louisiana Tumor Registry's data with statewide COVID-19 data and hospital in-patient discharge data to identify patients diagnosed with cancer in 2015-2019 who tested positive for COVID-19 in 2020 and those with COVID-19-associated hospitalization. Multivariable logistic regression and mediation methods based on linear structural equations were employed to assess the effects of the number of chronic diseases (0, 1-2, ≥3) and individual chronic diseases. RESULTS Of 6381 cancer patients who tested positive for COVID-19, 31.6% were non-Hispanic Black cancer patients. Compared with non-Hispanic White cancer patients, non-Hispanic Black cancer patients had a higher prevalence of chronic diseases (79.5% vs 66.0%) and higher COVID-19-associated hospitalization (27.2% vs 17.2%). The odds of COVID-19-associated hospitalization were 80% higher for non-Hispanic Black cancer patients than non-Hispanic White cancer patients (odds ratio = 1.80, 95% confidence interval = 1.59 to 2.04). After adjusting for age, sex, insurance, poverty, obesity, and cancer type, number of chronic diseases explained 37.8% of the racial disparity in COVID-19-associated hospitalization, and hypertension, diabetes, and chronic renal disease were the top 3 chronic diseases explaining 9.6%, 8.9%, and 7.3% of the racial disparity, respectively. CONCLUSION Chronic diseases played a substantial role in the racial disparity in COVID-19-associated hospitalization among cancer patients, especially hypertension, diabetes, and renal disease. Understanding and addressing the root causes are crucial for targeted interventions, policies, and health-care strategies to reduce racial disparity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao-Cheng Wu
- Louisiana Tumor Registry, Epidemiology Program, School of Public Health, Louisiana State University (LSU) Health, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Qingzhao Yu
- Biostatistics Program, School of Public Health, LSU Health, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Yong Yi
- Louisiana Tumor Registry, Epidemiology Program, School of Public Health, Louisiana State University (LSU) Health, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Lauren S Maniscalco
- Louisiana Tumor Registry, Epidemiology Program, School of Public Health, Louisiana State University (LSU) Health, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Mei-Chin Hsieh
- Louisiana Tumor Registry, Epidemiology Program, School of Public Health, Louisiana State University (LSU) Health, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - DeAnn Gruber
- Bureau of Infectious Diseases, Office of Public Health, Louisiana Department of Health, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Lee Mendoza
- Bureau of Health Informatics, Office of Public Health, Louisiana Department of Health, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Suki Subbiah
- Section of Hematology-Oncology, School of Medicine, LSU Health, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Theresa Sokol
- Bureau of Infectious Diseases, Office of Public Health, Louisiana Department of Health, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Pratibha Shrestha
- Louisiana Tumor Registry, Epidemiology Program, School of Public Health, Louisiana State University (LSU) Health, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Vivien W Chen
- Louisiana Tumor Registry, Epidemiology Program, School of Public Health, Louisiana State University (LSU) Health, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Eileen T Mederos
- LSU-LCMC Health Cancer Center, Department of Interdisciplinary Oncology, LSU Health, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Augusto Ochoa
- LSU-LCMC Health Cancer Center, Department of Interdisciplinary Oncology, LSU Health, New Orleans, LA, USA
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