No abstract

Black patients were less likely to receive SBRT (5.3% vs. 6.1%, OR 0.77, 95% CI 0.71-0.83, P < 0.001). 306,846 women met inclusion criteria (median age 61 years ; 17.4% in situ; 43.0% stage 1; 26.5% stage 2; 13.2% stage 3; 12.3% were Black and 87.7% were white). Treatment noncompletion did not differ significantly for Black (2.8%) vs. White (2.0%) women. Women who received hypofractionated EBRT had lower rates of treatment noncompletion compared to women who received conventional regimens (1.0% vs. 2.3%; OR 0.39, 95% CI 0.35-0.44, P < 0.001). Although rates of hypofractionated EBRT for breast cancer significantly increased from 0.8% in 2004 to 35.6% in 2017, Black patients were significantly less likely to receive hypofractionated EBRT (10.4% vs. 15.3%, OR 0.78, 95% CI 0.75-0.81, P < 0.001). Conclusion: Although shorter treatment regimens of radiation therapy were associated with lower rates of treatment noncompletion, disparities persisted in receipt of shorter regimens. Our findings underscore the need to identify barriers to treatment completion and racial bias and inequities in access to treatment regimens that are more likely to be completed.