Social Disadvantage Tied to Worse Lung Cancer Outcomes

THURSDAY, Sept. 28, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Social disadvantage is associated with a lower likelihood of achieving textbook oncological outcome and worse survival in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to a study published online Sept. 19 in JTCVS Open.

Ahmed Alnajar, M.D., M.S.P.H., from the University of Miami, and colleagues examined whether social determinants of health can affect both achievement of textbook oncological outcome and overall survival (OS) in patients with surgically resected NSCLC with pathological nodal disease. The analysis included 11,274 patients with NSCLC receiving lobectomy resection, of which 48 percent had textbook oncological outcome.

The researchers found that 15 percent of patients were considered disadvantaged (two or more social determinants of health not met), which was associated with a lower likelihood of achieving textbook oncological outcome (adjusted odds ratio, 0.85) compared with non-socially disadvantaged patients. Further, patients achieving textbook oncological outcome had lower overall mortality (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.78) than patients not achieving textbook oncological outcome. Social disadvantage remained an independently significant risk factor with OS versus not being socially disadvantaged (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.24). The impact of social disadvantage on OS was significant, regardless of textbook oncological outcome status.

“Addressing social determinants of health is important to optimize care and long-term survival of this patient population,” the authors write.

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