006 Symptomatic Improvement of Keloid with 5-Fluorouracil Injections

Abstract

The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER 18) database is the largest national registry for cancer-related patient data in the United States. Despite these advances, Black populations consistently have shown poorer survival statistics, possibly due to later stages of presentation, increased tumor aggressiveness, treatment noncompliance, among other debated causes. Our goal in this study is to look at a socioeconomic marker that may link all of these causes, namely median income level, and derive the extent of influence a patient's financial resources can have on overall survival. Study Design: Retrospective cohort study. Setting: Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER 18) Database, April 2015 Update. Methods: Original cases from the aforementioned database were identified, with unknown racial status cases excluded from the final dataset. Survival Data by geographical county was collected from the SEER database and correlated to US Census Bureau median income data to uncover meaningful statistical relationships. Results: Whites were found to overall fare better than Blacks for all time intervals (Year 1 to Year 5) following diagnosis, based on mean survival data (p<0.05). Blacks were noted to have higher survival rates for the same time intervals (Year 1 to Year 5) when survival statistics adjusted for income (p<0.05). Conclusion: Significance correlations were seen between income and overall survival. When race was accounted for, blacks were noted to have a higher survival rate than whites. These findings accentuate a major socioeconomic issue to address within the policy-making framework and endorse earlier intervention for underprivileged populations.