Impact of Race, Insurance Status, and Primary Language on Presentation, Treatment, and Outcomes of Patients with Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma at a Safety-Net Hospital.

BACKGROUND: Social determinants of health impact the delivery of care and outcomes in patients with pancreatic cancer. We explored the relationship between social determinants of health and presentation, treatment, and outcomes of patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma at an urban safety-net medical center.

DESIGN: A single-institution retrospective chart review of patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma was conducted. Demographic, tumor, and treatment characteristics were obtained. Median overall survival, stage-specific survival, receipt of curative operation, and receipt of perioperative therapy were analyzed. Chi-square tests were used for categorical variables. Survival was determined by the Kaplan-Meier method.

RESULTS: We identified 240 patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma treated between January 2006 and December 2017. Median age was 66 years, 51% were female, 48% were non-white, 22% were non-English-speaking, 16% were Hispanic, and 40% were Medicaid/uninsured. There were 74 (31%) patients with early-stage (I/II) disease. There were no statistically significant differences between race, primary language, or ethnicity and receipt of surgical therapy or receipt of perioperative therapy. Relatively more patients with private insurance (100%) received perioperative therapy compared with Medicaid/uninsured (64%) and Medicare-insured (50%) patients (p = 0.018). Nearly 30% of patients with operable disease either declined having an intervention or were found to be too frail to undergo surgical intervention.

CONCLUSIONS: There were no statistically significant relationships between examined social determinants of health and use of operation or perioperative therapy. Patients treated at an urban safety-net hospital with a focus on vulnerable patient populations are able to provide outcomes similar to national averages. Additional exploration of factors affecting outcomes for pancreatic cancer in these patients will be important, as many centers absorb higher immigrant and indigent populations.