Racial Disparities in NSCLC: Biologic and Social Factors in Diagnosing Hispanic Individuals

By: Bryna Goeking
Posted: Tuesday, March 5, 2024

Hispanic and Latinx individuals in the United States seem to be more likely to be diagnosed with advanced-stage cancer, especially non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), when compared with non-Hispanic White individuals, according to a recent study conducted by Daniel R. Gomez, MD, MDA, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, and colleagues. Their study, which explored the potential biologic and social factors behind these findings, was published in the journal JCO Oncology Practice.

“Disparities among Hispanic/Latinx groups by race and by country of origin highlight the shortcomings of treating these groups as a monolith and underscore the need for disaggregated research and targeted interventions,” according to the authors.

The investigators analyzed data from the National Cancer Database from 2004 to 2018, in which 46,616 of the total 1,565,159 patients diagnosed with NSCLC self-identified as Hispanic/Latinx. Variation in race and country of origin for patients also appeared to influence the rates and timing of diagnosis. Black Hispanic individuals had a slightly higher rate of NSCLC diagnosis than White Hispanic individuals (47% and 46%; P < .001). Country of origin provided slightly more variation, with patients of Mexican heritage being most likely to present with advanced-stage NSCLC (adjusted odds ratio = 1.44; P < .001).

These findings indicate the importance of ethnicity to biologic factors as well as that of social determinants of health for minority groups. According to the authors, Hispanic patients are more likely than non-Hispanic Whites to face barriers in the medical system because of illegal status, lack of insurance, or fear of financial burden. The study noted that Hispanic/Latinx people were found to be least likely to attend annual wellness visits compared with members of other ethnic groups in the United States. All these factors may contribute to an advanced-stage diagnosis, the study authors proposed.

Disclosure: For full disclosures of the study authors, visit ascopubs.org.

JCO Oncology Practice