IASLC 2021: Disparities in Lung Cancer Care
Posted: Monday, September 27, 2021
The Opening Plenary at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) 2021 World Conference on Lung Cancer focused on a multilevel framework to describe disparities in lung cancer care (Abstract PL01.02). Raymond Uyiosa Osarogiagbon, MBBS, of Baptist Cancer Center in Memphis, Tennessee, explored novel approaches to deliver more equitable care for patients with lung cancer.
“We emphasize the fundamental sociopolitical origin of health-care disparities and advocate for social policy interventions, where the greatest leverage exists,” said Dr. Osarogiagbon.
Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death in more than 90 countries worldwide, even though lung cancer incidence rates have declined in the United States. From 2014 to 2018, the mortality rate among American women with lung cancer declined by 4% per year and declined by 5% for men. However, there is a vast difference in lung cancer incidence and mortality in the United States at state and county levels. These geographic disparities result from a multitude of drivers, including patient, provider, health-care organizational, and social policy factors.
Disparities exist at multiple levels of lung cancer care, from prevention (tobacco and pollution control) to screening, diagnosis, staging, biomarker testing, treatment selection, quality of treatment, survivorship care, and outcomes. According to Dr. Osarogiagbon, with new innovations in care come new disparities, worsening preexisting population gaps in lung cancer care and outcomes. One such example is the use of low-dose computed tomography (CT) screening. Regions where low-dose CT screening facilities are abundant have a lower per-capita incidence and mortality of lung cancer than regions with less access to this test. This may potentially exacerbate preexisting geographic disparities in lung cancer mortality.
Disclosure: For disclosure information for the study authors, visit library.iaslc.org.
