Differences in Race/Ethnicity and Survival Outcomes in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer
Posted: Friday, September 11, 2020
For Caribbean-born women with epithelial ovarian cancer, improved survival outcomes and Hispanic ethnicity appear to be significantly associated with each other regardless of race, according to a study of an institutional cancer registry published in Frontiers in Oncology. However, “a deeper understanding of the factors contributing to variation in personal risk and outcomes is needed,” reported Sophia George, PhD, of the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Miami, and colleagues.
From 2005 to 2017, data from a total of 529 patients treated for epithelial ovarian cancer were collected from the institutional cancer registry. All patients were assessed based on their date of diagnosis, tumor grade, age of diagnosis, treatment facility, histology, and country of birth. Patients were characterized as born in the Caribbean (n = 248) or born in the United States (n = 281). Patients who had nonepithelial and noninvasive tumors were excluded from the study.
The investigators found that after debulking surgery, Caribbean-born women were 31.2% more likely to have residual disease than American-born women (16.8%). Caribbean-born women (62.5%) were also more likely to be treated at a public facility than American-born women (33.5%). In addition, a comparison of all Caribbean-born women revealed that Hispanic ethnicity was associated with improved survival (hazard ratio = 0.61). Moreover, White Caribbean-born women received more chemotherapy than Black Caribbean-born women (82.2% vs. 55.2%). Furthermore, a comparison of Black and White Caribbean-born women revealed that White Caribbean-born Hispanic women had a median overall survival of 59 months as compared with Black, non-Hispanic women (24 months).
“Perhaps the most striking finding of our study is the significant positive influence Hispanic ethnicity had on survival, for both White and Black races, among women born in the Caribbean,” the authors commented.
Disclosure: For full disclosures of the study authors, visit frontiersin.org.
