Article
Otorhinolaryngology
Shreya P. Ramkumar, Arun Bhardwaj, Amila Patel, Krishnamoorthy Seetharaman, Amanda Christman, Ninad Amondikar, Dina K. Abouelella, Adnan S. Hussaini, Justin M. Barnes, Eric Adjei Boakye, Tammara L. Watts, Nosayaba Osazuwa-Peters
Summary: This retrospective cohort study aimed to characterize the clinical and nonclinical factors associated with the receipt of immunotherapy among older patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The study found that White patients with HNSCC were more likely to receive immunotherapy, while age, sex, and smoking history did not have a significant impact on the odds of receiving immunotherapy.
JAMA OTOLARYNGOLOGY-HEAD & NECK SURGERY
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Mark W. McDonald, James E. Bates, Neal S. McCall, Subir Goyal, Yuan Liu, Soumon Rudra, Jill S. Remick, Sibo Tian, Mark W. El-Deiry, Nabil F. Saba, William A. Stokes, Erica Swinney
Summary: This study evaluated racial disparities in insurance coverage for proton therapy in patients with head and neck cancer. BIPOC patients were more likely to have insurance plans unfavorable to proton therapy coverage, resulting in longer determination time, lower approval rate, and longer time to start radiation therapy.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RADIATION ONCOLOGY BIOLOGY PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Otorhinolaryngology
Katherine Tashman, Elizabeth A. Noyes, Chloe B. Warinner, Joseph Ogbonna, Ernest Gomez, Scharukh M. Jalisi
Summary: The safety-net status of hospitals is associated with higher mortality index and cost in geriatric head and neck cancer patients. Medium case volume and safety-net status together predict higher mortality index.
HEAD AND NECK-JOURNAL FOR THE SCIENCES AND SPECIALTIES OF THE HEAD AND NECK
(2023)
Article
Otorhinolaryngology
Marc A. Emerson, Douglas R. Farquhar, Nicholas R. Lenze, Siddharth Sheth, Angela L. Mazul, Adam M. Zanation, Trevor G. Hackman, Mark C. Weissler, Jose P. Zevallos, Wendell G. Yarbrough, Paul Brennan, Behnoush Abedi-Ardekani, Andrew F. Olshan
Summary: This study evaluated the multidimensional influences of factors associated with the progression of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC), specifically focusing on race differences. The results indicate that socioeconomic status, access to care, and behavioral risk factors contribute to the association with advanced T-stage, and the differences by race warrant further investigation.
HEAD AND NECK-JOURNAL FOR THE SCIENCES AND SPECIALTIES OF THE HEAD AND NECK
(2022)
Article
Otorhinolaryngology
Jennifer N. Shehan, Tooba Alwani, Jessica LeClair, Taylor F. Mahoney, Pratima Agarwal, Salil T. Chaudhry, Judy J. Wang, Jacob Pieter Noordzij, Lauren F. Tracy, Heather A. Edwards, Gregory Grillone, Andrew R. Salama, Scharukh M. Jalisi, Anand K. Devaiah
Summary: Language, distance from the hospital, and education were found to impact treatment selection in head and neck cancer patients, providing insights for patient counseling on treatment decisions.
HEAD AND NECK-JOURNAL FOR THE SCIENCES AND SPECIALTIES OF THE HEAD AND NECK
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Nadia Mezghani, Alexandria Yao, Daria Vasilyeva, Nicole Kaplan, Austin Shackelford, Angela Yoon, Elizabeth Phillipone, Sunil Dubey, Gary K. Schwartz, Alison M. Taylor, Fatemeh Momen-Heravi
Summary: The purpose of this study was to understand the molecular biomarkers and signatures of head and neck cancer (HNC) among Black patients and identify molecular changes associated with HNC disparities. The study identified molecular subtypes and genomic changes in HNC samples from Black and White patients, as well as their clinical outcomes. The findings showed that Black patients had more aggressive tumor types, higher frequencies of certain gene mutations, and poorer survival outcomes. The study suggests that these molecular features could be used for more targeted screening, diagnosis, and treatment to improve health outcomes.
CLINICAL CANCER RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Nicholas R. Lenze, Douglas Farquhar, Siddharth Sheth, Jose P. Zevallos, Jeffrey Blumberg, Catherine Lumley, Samip Patel, Trevor Hackman, Mark C. Weissler, Wendell G. Yarbrough, Adam M. Zanation, Andrew F. Olshan
Summary: A study of HPV-negative head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients found that racial disparities in diagnosis and survival are primarily influenced by socioeconomic status, with low SES serving as a target for interventions aimed at mitigating these disparities.
Article
Otorhinolaryngology
Lauren A. Lawrence, Mitchell L. Heuermann, Pardis Javadi, Arun Sharma
Summary: This study examined the relationship among rurality, socioeconomic status, and patient/tumor characteristics in head and neck cancer patients. It found that rural residence was associated with lower SES, and T and N stages were related to rurality. Additionally, higher educational status was linked to oropharyngeal cancer.
OTOLARYNGOLOGY-HEAD AND NECK SURGERY
(2022)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Chloe B. Warinner, Regan W. Bergmark, Rosh Sethi, Eleni M. Rettig
Summary: Cancer-related activity limitations are more common among HNC survivors compared to survivors of other cancers, especially affecting socioeconomically disadvantaged survivors.
Article
Otorhinolaryngology
Baruch Weizman, Nili Golan, Ohad Ronen
Summary: The study aimed to assess the survival outcomes of head and neck cancer patients by socioeconomic status. It found that patients from higher socioeconomic areas had better survival rates, with age over 65 and low socioeconomic status being correlated with inferior overall survival.
HEAD AND NECK-JOURNAL FOR THE SCIENCES AND SPECIALTIES OF THE HEAD AND NECK
(2021)
Article
Surgery
Jacques A. Greenberg, Jessica W. Thiesmeyer, Timothy M. Ullmann, Caitlin E. Egan, Fernando Valle Reyes, Maureen D. Moore, Nikolay A. Ivanov, Amanda M. Laird, Brendan M. Finnerty, Rasa Zarnegar, Thomas J. Fahey, Toni Beninato
Summary: Disparities exist in access to high-volume surgeons for thyroid cancer patients, with Medicaid patients more likely to be treated at high-volume hospitals. The Affordable Care Act's impact on Medicaid patients' access to high-volume surgery centers is unclear. After the ACA expansion, Medicaid patients had lower odds of surgery at high-volume hospitals in expansion states, but higher odds in nonexpansion states. The ACA implementation increased the proportion of Medicaid patients in all quartiles, leading to increased access to high-volume centers in expansion states.
Article
Oncology
Ines Leao, Catarina Garcia, Pedro Antunes, Ana Campolargo, Isabel Dias, Edite Coimbra, Pedro Oliveira, Horacio Zenha, Horacio Costa, Andreia Capela, Sofia Viamonte, Alberto J. Alves, Ana Joaquim
Summary: Head and neck cancer treatment can have negative impact on health-related quality of life and treatment efficacy. Exercise training may bring benefits to these patients. This study aimed to analyze the acute effects of treatment on patients and their preferences for exercise training. The findings suggest that an exercise training program can improve the physical fitness of patients and reduce toxicities.
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Tooba Alwani, Jennifer N. Shehan, Jessica LeClair, Taylor F. Mahoney, Pratima Agarwal, Salil T. Chaudhry, Judy J. Wang, Jacob P. Noordzij, Lauren F. Tracy, Heather A. Edwards, Gregory Grillone, Andrew R. Salama, Scharukh M. Jalisi, Anand K. Devaiah
Summary: This study explores the impact of social determinants of health on follow-up care in head and neck cancers. Factors such as income, primary language, country of birth, race/ethnicity, insurance status, and markers of educational attainment do not appear to influence follow-up care at a safety-net, tertiary care institution, but distance from hospital remains a significant contributor to care disparities.
Article
Oncology
Richard S. Hoehn, Caroline J. Rieser, Sharon Winters, Lauren Stitt, Melissa E. Hogg, David L. Bartlett, Kenneth K. Lee, Alessandro Paniccia, James P. Ohr, Vikram C. Gorantla, Anuradha Krishnamurthy, John C. Rhee, Nathan Bahary, Adam C. Olson, Steve Burton, Susannah G. Ellsworth, Adam Slivka, Kevin McGrath, Asif Khalid, Kenneth Fasanella, Jennifer Chennat, Randal E. Brand, Rohit Das, Ritu Sarkaria, Aatur D. Singhi, Herbert J. Zeh, Amer H. Zureikat
Summary: National studies have shown disparities in treatment and survival of pancreatic cancer patients based on socioeconomic status. This study found that low-SES patients had poorer outcomes compared to high-SES patients outside of the MDC, but these differences were eliminated within the MDC setting. Low SES was associated with inferior survival for non-MDC patients, but not for MDC patients.
ANNALS OF SURGICAL ONCOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Xiaohui Liu, Mark N. Fluchel, Anne C. Kirchhoff, Haojie Zhu, Tracy Onega
Summary: This study examined the geographic accessibility of pediatric cancer care in the continental US and identified disparities among different population groups and areas. It suggests innovative approaches, such as capacity expansion of local facilities and partnerships with adult oncology centers and primary care physicians, to reduce these disparities.
