Study: Racial-ethnic, neighborhood socioeconomic disparities impact adherence to endometrial cancer treatment

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Standard treatment therapies should not differ based on sociodemographics, but a recent study published in the online journal Obstetrics & Gynecology suggests that may be the case. In their study, Assistant Professor Alana M.W. LeBrón, Ph.D., MS and doctoral student and corresponding author, Victoria E. Rodriguez, aimed to examine the association of race-ethnicity and neighborhood socioeconomic status with the type of endometrial cancer treatment recommended to patients by their doctors, specifically whether they adhere to National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines.

In their sample of 83,883 women, researchers found that Black, Latina, and American Indian or Alaska Native women had lower odds of receiving adherent treatment. Asian and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander women had higher odds of receiving adherent treatment compared to White women.

In addition to racial-ethnic disparities, study results also revealed differences in standard treatment therapies based on neighborhood socioeconomic status. Researchers discovered a gradient in which high-middle, middle, low-middle, and lowest neighborhood socioeconomic status categories had lower odds of receiving NCCN-adherent treatment than those in the highest neighborhood socioeconomic status group.

This study underscores the growing need for interventions aimed at promoting equitable cancer treatment practices that are accessible to all people regardless of their background.