Disparities in Access to Multidisciplinary Cancer Consultations and Treatment for Patients With Early-Stage Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A SEER-Medicare Analysis.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

Disparities in access to a multidisciplinary cancer consultation (MDCc) persist, and the role of physician relationships remains understudied. This study examined the extent to which multilevel factors, including patient characteristics and patient-sharing network measures reflecting the structure of physician relationships, are associated with an MDCc and receipt of stereotactic body radiation therapy versus surgery among patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Methods and materials

In this cross-sectional study, we analyzed Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare data for patients diagnosed with stage I-IIA NSCLC from 2016 to 2017. We assembled patient-sharing networks and identified cancer specialists who were locally uniq

SUBMITTER: Liu YC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11329352 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature