Association of Sociodemographic Factors With Immunotherapy Receipt for Metastatic Melanoma in the US

Question Are sociodemographic factors associated with likelihood of receiving immunotherapy for patients diagnosed with metastatic melanoma in the US? Findings In this cohort study of 9512 metastatic melanoma cases diagnosed between 2013 and 2016 in the National Cancer Database, factors associated with receiving immunotherapy included diagnosis in Medicaid expansion states, residence in areas with high rates of high school graduation, and treatment at academic cancer centers or integrated cancer networks. Meaning This study found that patients with metastatic melanoma diagnosed in Medicaid expansion states, treated at academic or integrated cancer centers, and living in high graduation-rate areas were more likely to receive immunotherapy. Importance Strides to improve survival in metastatic melanoma have been made with the use of immunotherapeutic agents in the form of immune checkpoint inhibitors. Objective To examine the factors associated with immunotherapy receipt in patients with metastatic melanoma in the era of immune checkpoint inhibitors and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Design, Setting, and Participants This cohort study used data on 9882 patients with metastatic melanoma diagnosed from January 1, 2013, to December 31, 2016, from the National Cancer Database. Patients who did not have documentation regarding immunotherapy receipt were excluded. Data analysis was performed from July 1, 2019, to December 15, 2019. Exposure Receipt of immunotherapy. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome was the association of receipt of immunotherapy as first-line therapy with sociodemographic factors. The secondary outcome was overall survival by receipt of immunotherapy. Results A total of 9512 patients (mean [SD] age, 65.1 [14.4] years; 6481 [68.1%] male; 9217 [96.9%] White) met the criteria for treatment analysis. A total of 3428 (36.0%) received immunotherapy, and 6084 (64.0%) did not. Increasing age (odds ratio [OR], 0.98; 95% CI, 0.97-0.98; P < .001) and increasing Charlson-Deyo comorbidity index (OR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.80-0.92; P < .001) were associated with lower odds of receiving immunotherapy on regression analysis. Diagnosis in Medicaid expansion states (OR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.05-1.27; P = .003), treatment at an academic or integrated cancer network program (OR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.45-1.75; P < .001), and residence within the highest quartile of high school graduation rate zip code area (OR, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.09-1.56; P = .003) were associated with an increased likelihood of receiving immunotherapy. Median overall survival was 10.1 months (95% CI, 9.6-10.6 months) among all patients. Patients who received first-line immunotherapy had a median overall survival of 18.4 months (95% CI, 16.6-20.1 months) compared with 7.5 months (95% CI, 7.0-7.9 months) (P < .001) among patients who did not. Conclusions and Relevance In this cohort study, patients who received immunotherapy for metastatic melanoma had improved overall survival. Residence in Medicaid expansion states, younger age, low comorbidity index, care at academic medical centers or integrated network cancer programs, and residence in zip codes within the highest quartile of high school graduation were associated with an increased likelihood of receiving immunotherapy. Recognizing sociodemographic associations with treatment receipt is important to identify potential barriers to treatment. This cohort study examines the sociodemographic factors associated with immunotherapy receipt in patients with metastatic melanoma in the era of immune checkpoint inhibitors and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in the US.