Patient-reported symptom burden in routine oncology care: Examining racial and ethnic disparities.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Racial and ethnic disparities are well-documented in cancer outcomes such as disease progression and survival, but less is known regarding potential disparities in symptom burden.

Aims

The goal of this retrospective study was to examine differences in symptom burden by race and ethnicity in a large sample of cancer patients. We hypothesized that racial and ethnic minority patients would report greater symptom burden than non-Hispanic and White patients.

Methods and results

A total of 5798 cancer patients completed the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale-revised (ESAS-r-CSS) at least once as part of clinical care. Two indicators of symptom burden were evaluated: (1) total ESAS-r-CSS score (i.e., overall symptom burden) and (2) number of severe symptoms (i.e.,

SUBMITTER: Bulls HW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8955049 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature