In patients with advanced laryngeal cancer, younger patients and those residing in a county with a low median household income are more likely to receive surgical therapy, and females and married patients are at a lower risk of dying from cancer, according to a new report.
The population-based, non-concurrent cohort study looked at whether sociodemographic factors are associated with choice of treatment (surgical versus non-surgical) and disease-free survival in patients with advanced laryngeal cancer. The researchers found that, in patients with advanced laryngeal cancer, younger patients and those residing in a county with a low median household income are more likely to receive surgical therapy, and females and married patients are at a lower risk of dying from cancer.
A total of 5,381 patients in the United States diagnosed with stage III or IV laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma between 1992 and 2009 were included in the study. The researchers found that patients 60 years of age or older and those with more recent diagnoses experienced a decreased likelihood of receiving surgical therapy. Patients were more likely to receive surgical therapy if they lived in a county with low median household income and if they were younger than 60 years of age.
The study also found an increased risk of death from laryngeal cancer in black patients and older patients.
Uchechukwu Megwalu, MD, assistant professor in the department of otolaryngology – head and neck surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine in California and senior author of the study, said that more research is needed to understand why sociodemographic factors—along with clinical factors—impact the choice of therapy and survival outcomes in patients with laryngeal cancer.
“It is unclear whether this reflects the impact of these factors on patient values and choices, or their impact on access to care, especially regarding survival outcomes,” he said.