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Minorities with common forms of lung cancer face longer wait times for radiation therapy
A new study has uncovered significant racial disparities in how quickly minorities with the most common form of lung cancer receive potentially life-saving radiation therapy compared to their white counterparts. Researchers at the UVA Cancer Center reviewed data from more than 222,700 non-small cell lung cancer patients across the country. They found that the median time to radiation was 61.7 days. For white patients it was only 60.9 days; for black patients it was 65.9 days; and for Asian patients it was 71.9 days. These differences can have real consequences, as prompt initiation of treatment contributes to better outcomes. A delay in treatment...
Minorities with common forms of lung cancer face longer wait times for radiation therapy
A new study has uncovered significant racial disparities in how quickly minorities with the most common form of lung cancer receive potentially life-saving radiation therapy compared to their white counterparts.
Researchers at the UVA Cancer Center reviewed data from more than 222,700 non-small cell lung cancer patients across the country. They found that the median time to radiation was 61.7 days. For white patients it was only 60.9 days; for black patients it was 65.9 days; and for Asian patients it was 71.9 days.
These differences can have real consequences, as prompt initiation of treatment contributes to better outcomes. A one-week delay in treatment was associated with a 3.2% and 1.6% increase in the risk of death in patients with stage I and stage II non-small cell lung cancer, respectively.
The troubling findings prompted UVA researchers to call for further research into the underlying causes of the disparities and efforts to ensure equitable access to treatment.
Our results suggest that non-white lung cancer patients experience a delayed time to cancer treatment compared to white patients, and this is not limited to any particular type of treatment facility. Collaboration between providers and community stakeholders and organizations is urgently needed to improve patient accessibility and knowledge about cancer and to overcome existing disparities in timely care for lung cancer patients.”
Rajesh Balkrishnan, PhD, senior researcher, UVA Cancer Center and Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Virginia School of Medicine
Differences in cancer treatment
The UVA researchers say there may be several reasons for the racial disparity. They note that non-white patients are more likely to be uninsured, face greater socioeconomic barriers to care and may be viewed by doctors as at risk if they do not adhere to their treatment plans. Additionally, minorities are more likely to report being less satisfied with their encounters with care providers.
“These results shed light on the potential presence and impact of structural racism on patients seeking cancer treatment,” the researchers write in an article in the academic journal Health Equity. “Further research into the social determinants that perpetuate disparities in time to radiation therapy and potential interventions in the clinical setting to improve cultural and racial sensitivity among health care professionals is recommended.”
The longest wait times to begin treatment were in academic health systems, the researchers report. They suspect this may be because patients begin their treatment in community hospitals and other local facilities before needing to be transferred to academic institutions that can provide more complex care.
However, racial disparities have been found in all types of hospitals. White patients consistently had the shortest time to treatment, while Asians had the longest, the researchers report.
Ensuring equitable access to cancer care and improving the quality of that care are important missions of the UVA Cancer Center, which this year became one of only 53 cancer centers in the country to be designated a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute. The designation recognizes elite cancer centers with the most outstanding cancer programs in the country. Comprehensive cancer centers must meet rigorous standards for innovative research and leading clinical trials.
The UVA Cancer Center is the only comprehensive cancer center in Virginia.
Results published
The lung cancer results were published in the journal Health Equity. The research team consisted of Akhil Rekulapelli, Raj P. Desai, Aditya Narayan, Linda W. Martin, Richard Hall, James M. Larner and Balkrishnan.
Source:
University of Virginia Health System
Reference:
Rekulapelli, A., et al. (2022) Racial and treatment center disparities in time to treatment initiation among patients with non-small cell lung cancer receiving radiation therapy as initial treatment. Health equity. doi.org/10.1089/heq.2022.0104.
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