KEY TAKEAWAYS
- The study aimed to investigate the demographic and socioeconomic factors associated with disparities in the time-to-treatment for melanoma pts.
- Researchers noticed substantial disparities in time-to-treatment linked to race and socioeconomic factors; further investigation is still ongoing.
Kyle Popp and his team aimed to assess the examination of demographic and socioeconomic elements contributing to variations in time-to-treatment for melanoma.
Researchers performed an inclusive analysis of patients diagnosed with melanoma between 2004 and 2019, utilizing data from the National Cancer Database. Time intervals from diagnosis to surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy were systematically compared across various demographic categories, including age, sex, race, and socioeconomic status.
About 647,273 patients diagnosed with melanoma were analyzed in this study. Hispanic patients exhibited the lengthiest intervals to surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy in comparison to non-Hispanic patients (surgery: 38.52 vs. 31.90 days, radiation: 130.12 vs. 99.67 days, chemotherapy: 93.66 vs. 83.72 days, all P<0.01). Correspondingly, black patients and uninsured individuals experienced the longest times-to-treatment.
The study concluded that substantial disparities in time-to-treatment, linked to race and socioeconomic factors, underscore the pressing need for further investigations into the root causes of these disparities. Addressing and rectifying these inequities is imperative for improving the overall quality and care.
The study is sponsored by International Institute of Anticancer Research
Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38307585/
Popp K, Popp R, Bansal S, et al. (2024). “Disparities in Time-to-treatment for Patients With Melanoma.” Anticancer Res. 2024 Feb;44(2):631-637. doi: 10.21873/anticanres.16852. PMID: 38307585.
