14 Dec Disparities in Acute Leukemia Care are Multifactorial
Dr. Manali Patel
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Manali Patel, MD, MPH
Instructor in the Division of Oncology
Department of Medicine
Stanford University School of Medicine
Researcher at the Clinical Excellence Research Center and the Primary Care and Outcomes Research Group at Stanford
Staff oncologist at the Veterans Administration and a researcher in the Palo Alto Veterans Administration Health Services & Research Development group.
Medical Research: What is the background for this study?
Dr. Patel: Racial and ethnic disparities in Acute Leukemia are well documented in the literature but the reasons underlying the disparities remain largely unknown. In our previous work, we demonstrated mortality disparities for minorities with Acute Myeloid Leukemia despite favorable prognostic demographic and molecular factors. We have also shown that differences in receipt of treatment may partially explain a large component of these disparities. The purpose of this study is to determine how socioeconomic status factors influence mortality from Acute Leukemia using a population-based novel linked dataset of the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results Database and the National Longitudinal Mortality Study.
Medical Research: What are the main findings?
Dr. Patel: We found a total of 121 patients with Acute Lymphoid Leukemia and 438 patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia in the linked dataset. After adjusting for socioeconomic status factors, there were increased risk of mortality among Hispanic and decreased risk of mortality among Asian Pacific Islander patients as compared with non-Hispanic white patients in Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia. Among patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia, we found no associations of mortality by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status.
Medical Research: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?
Dr. Patel: Among patients with Acute Leukemia, disparities are multifactorial and socioeconomic status is one factor that influences outcomes from these hematologic malignancies.
Medical Research: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?
Dr. Patel: Studies should rigorously investigate the influence of specific socioeconomic status factors to better understand the influence of these factors on outcomes from acute leukemia and consider other modifiable etiologies to reduce disparities in these malignancies.
Citation:
Abstract Presented at the 2015 American Society of Hematology
Health Services and Outcomes Research – Malignant Diseases
Program: Oral and Poster Abstracts
Session: 902. Health Services and Outcomes Research – Malignant Diseases: Poster I
Saturday, December 5, 2015, 5:30 PM-7:30 PM
Hall A, Level 2 (Orange County Convention Center)
Manali I. Patel, MD, MPH, MS1, Norman Johnson, PhD2*, Sean Altekruse, DVM, MPH, PhD3* and Kim Rhoads, MD MPH4*
1Hematology/ Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA
2National Longitudinal Mortality Study, US Census Bureau, Bethesda, MD
3National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD
4Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA
Manali Patel, MD, MPH (2015). Disparities in Acute Leukemia Care are Multifactorial
Last Updated on December 14, 2015 by Marie Benz MD FAAD