Sociodemographic disparities in young adults with colorectal cancer (CRC): Analysis of 26,768 patients in the National Cancer Database (NCDB).

Abstract

13 Background: The incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) in young adults (YA) is rising. Impact of sociodemographic status on YA with CRC is not well described. Methods: Data obtained from the NCDB were used to examine the impact of sociodemographic status on clinicopathological features and outcomes of YA with CRC. Patients (pts) were categorized based on whether they lived in areas of low or high income and education. Logistic regression and chi-square were used to examine the differences between the groups. Results: In total, 26,768 YA (≤40 yrs) pts diagnosed with CRC between 2004 and 2016 were retrospectively studied. The majority of pts were male (51.6%), and 78.7% were white, 14.6% black, and 6.6% of other races. Of the entire cohort, 32.3% pts resided in the highest income areas (median ≥$68,000), whereas 18.4% were in the lowest ( < $38,000); 23% lived in areas that had the highest high school graduation rate ( > 93%), while 20% lived in areas of the lowest graduation rate ( < 79%); and 32.3% came from metropolitan areas, while 18.4% came from urban areas. Pts in the lowest compared to highest income and education areas were more likely to be black (OR: 6.4, 5.6-7.4), not have private insurance (OR: 6.3, 5.6-7.0), have T3/T4 stage (OR: 1.4, 1.3-1.6), have positive nodes (OR: 1.2, 1.1-1.3), be rehospitalized within 30 days (OR: 1.3, 1.1-1.6), or have a Charlson-Deyo score ≥ 1 (OR: 1.6, 1.4-1.9), and were less likely to have surgery (OR: 0.63, 0.6-0.7). After adjusting for race, insurance status, T/N stage, and Charlson-Deyo comorbidity scores, pts from lowest vs. highest income and education areas had a 24% increased risk of death (HRadj: 1.24, CI 1.1-1.44, p = 0.004), and pts from urban vs. metropolitan areas had a 10% increased risk of death (HRadj = 1.10 (1.01-1.20), P = 0.02). Pts with stage IV disease in the lowest vs. highest income populations had worse mOS (1.72 vs. 2.17 years, p < 0.001). Conclusions: YA with CRC in the lowest income and education population were more likely to have worse OS. Furthermore, regardless of income, pts in metropolitan areas seemed to have a lower risk of death likely due to greater access to care. More efforts are needed to eliminate disparities and achieve health equity.

Precision Medicine for Gastrointestinal Cancers: a Conference Report

“…On the other side of the equation, surgical resection of the primary tumor in incurable metastatic colorectal cancer patients does not add any benefit [ 23 ] suggesting that aggressive surgical approaches should be avoided for incurable colorectal cancer patients, unless otherwise indicated. A comprehensive analysis from the national database presented in ASCO GI Symposium 2020 reported worse survival outcomes in young adults with colorectal cancer and social disparities confirming the growing concern regarding the inability of young adults to access healthcare [ 24 ]. These alarming results indicate the existence of a significant gap in the healthcare system of the USA where young adults have difficulty accessing the medical care even for cancer care which needs to be addressed in the near future.…”