The following is a summary of “Implications of the interaction between travel burden and area deprivation for patients with pancreatic cancer,” published in the October 2023 issue of Surgery by Murimwa, et al.
The relationship between access to care, social determinants of health, and survival outcomes in pancreatic cancer (PC) remains poorly understood. For a study, researchers sought to elucidate the individual and combined impacts of care fragmentation, travel burden, and social determinants of health on the survival of PC patients.
A cohort of 20,769 PC patients treated between 2005 and 2019, identified by the Texas Cancer Registry, was analyzed. Social determinants of health were quantified using the Area Deprivation Index (ADI) and Poverty Index. Survival analyses were conducted at the 2-year mark, with a subgroup analysis focusing on patients facing the highest travel burden.
Improved survival was associated with care consolidation (HR 0.74, CI 0.71–0.77) and increased distance from a certified cancer center (Quartile 4 HR 0.90, CI 0.81–1.00). Higher ADI correlated with worse outcomes, whereas lower ADI was linked to improved outcomes, particularly with escalating travel burdens.
The data underscored the intricate relationship between travel burden and survival in PC patients. Stratifying by area deprivation reveals divergent outcomes, emphasizing the potential to exacerbate disparities in access to care and outcomes for individuals with pancreatic cancer.
Source: americanjournalofsurgery.com/article/S0002-9610(23)00266-0/fulltext
