Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: Background
Racial and ethnic disparities in ovarian cancer (OC) survival are well-documented. However, few studies have investigated how health-care access (HCA) contributes to these disparities.Methods
To evaluate the influence of HCA on OC mortality, we analyzed 2008-2015 Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare data. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between HCA dimensions (affordability, availability, accessibility) and OC-specific and all-cause mortality, adjusting for patient characteristics and treatment receipt.Results
The study cohort included 7590 OC patients: 454 (6.0%) Hispanic, 501 (6.6%) Non-Hispanic (NH) Black, and 6635 (87.4%) NH White. Higher affordability (HR = 0.90, 95% CI = 0.87 to 0.94), availability (HR = 0.95, 95% CI = 0.92 to 0.99), and accessibility scores (HR = 0.93, 95% CI = 0.87 to 0.99) were associated with lower risk of OC mortality after adjusting for demographic and clinical factors. Racial disparities were observed after additional adjustment for these HCA dimensions: NH Black patients experienced a 26% higher risk of OC mortality compared with NH White patients (HR = 1.26, 95% CI = 1.11 to 1.43) and a 45% higher risk among patients who survived at least 12 months (HR = 1.45, 95% CI = 1.16 to 1.81).Conclusions
HCA dimensions are statistically significantly associated with mortality after OC and explain some, but not all, of the observed racial disparity in survival of patients with OC. Although equalizing access to quality health care remains critical, research on other HCA dimensions is needed to determine additional factors contributing to disparate OC outcomes by race and ethnicity and advance the field toward health equity.
SUBMITTER: Montes de Oca MK
PROVIDER: S-EPMC10066801 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Mar
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Montes de Oca Mary Katherine MK Chen Quan Q Howell Elizabeth E Wilson Lauren E LE Meernik Clare C Previs Rebecca A RA Huang Bin B Pisu Maria M Liang Margaret I MI Ward Kevin C KC Schymura Maria J MJ Berchuck Andrew A Akinyemiju Tomi T
JNCI cancer spectrum 20230301 2
<h4>Background</h4>Racial and ethnic disparities in ovarian cancer (OC) survival are well-documented. However, few studies have investigated how health-care access (HCA) contributes to these disparities.<h4>Methods</h4>To evaluate the influence of HCA on OC mortality, we analyzed 2008-2015 Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare data. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the associat ...[more]