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Renal Cell Cancer: A Shift in Approaches for Treatment of Advanced Disease in the United States

Matthew P. Banegas, Linda C. Harlan, Bhupinder Mann, and K. Robin Yabroff

Several new agents have become available to treat renal cell cancer (RCC) in recent years, although evidence on their dissemination is limited. This study examined recent trends in RCC treatment in US community practices. Data from the population-based National Cancer Institute’s Patterns of Care studies were used to evaluate treatment of patients with RCC newly diagnosed in 2004 and 2009 (N=2357). Descriptive statistics and logistic and Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were used to assess treatment patterns and the associations among demographic, clinical, and hospital characteristics, with receipt of systemic therapy and time-to-systemic treatment. Between 2004 and 2009, systemic therapy use increased among patients with stage III and IV RCC, from 3.8% to 15.7% and 35.2% to 57.4%, respectively. Among patients with stage IV disease, the most commonly used therapies changed from interleukin-2 (16.3%) and interferon-alfa (16.6%) in 2004 to sunitinib (39.2%) and temsirolimus (15.2%) in 2009. Further, notable decreases were seen in the use of surgery and time-to-systemic treatment for patients with stage IV disease. Patients who were older, living in areas with lower educational attainment, and diagnosed in 2004 were significantly less likely to receive systemic therapy and had longer time-to-systemic treatment (P<.05). The findings indicate that over the past decade, treatment for RCC in the United States has evolved toward increased use of systemic therapy. As the diffusion of new therapies continues, it will be imperative to understand how variation in care for RCC will impact health outcomes and costs of care.

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Determinants and Outcomes of Satisfaction With Healthcare Provider Communication Among Cancer Survivors

Ashish Rai, Xuesong Han, Zhiyuan Zheng, K. Robin Yabroff, and Ahmedin Jemal

Background: Despite the surge of interest in improving provider communication, empirical research is sparse on the determinants and outcomes of cancer survivors' satisfaction with healthcare provider communication. Methods: Longitudinal Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data spanning 2008 through 2014 was used to identify 4,588 respondents who were ever diagnosed with cancer. A composite score was generated by combining 5 measures of satisfaction. We used multivariate logistic regressions and 2-part models to examine the associations between satisfaction ratings and outcomes, including general, mental, and physical health; office visits; and total healthcare, drug, and out-of-pocket expenditures. Results: The study sample comprised 2,257 nonelderly (age 18–64 years) and 2,331 elderly (age ≥65 years) respondents. Among both age groups, higher satisfaction was associated with fewer comorbidities, fewer year 1 office visits, and absence of year 1 emergency department visits. Membership of higher satisfaction tertile in year 1 was associated with better year 2 mental health (tertile 1 [T1]: predictive margin [PM], 27.1%; tertile 2 [T2]: PM, 35.5%; P=.013; tertile 3 [T3]: PM, 37.0%; P=.005) and general health (T1 [ref]: PM, 30.3%; T3: PM, 38.9%; P=.007) among the elderly. Greater satisfaction was associated with fewer year 2 office visits (T1 [ref]: PM, 7.42 visits; T3: PM, 6.26 visits; P=.038) among the nonelderly; and lower year 2 healthcare expenditures (T1 [ref]: PM, $34,071; T3: PM, $26,995; P=.049) among the elderly. Conclusions: We identified potential differences in cancer survivors' needs and expectations of provider communication based on comorbidities and baseline service use. These results emphasize the need for individualized communication strategies for patients with cancer and survivors shaped by their distinct requirements. Our findings of better health, lower service use, and lower expenditures among more satisfied cancer survivors suggest that interventions to improve provider communication could lead to a more efficient use of healthcare resources.

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Loneliness and Mortality Risk Among Cancer Survivors in the United States: A Retrospective, Longitudinal Study

Jingxuan Zhao, Jennifer B. Reese, Xuesong Han, and K. Robin Yabroff

Background: Loneliness, a subjective feeling of being isolated, is a prevalent concern for elderly people and more so among cancer survivors because a cancer diagnosis and its subsequent treatment may result in long-term adverse health effects. This study aimed to examine the association of loneliness and mortality risk among cancer survivors in the United States. Methods: We identified a longitudinal cohort of cancer survivors aged ≥50 years from the nationally representative panel surveys of the 2008–2018 Health and Retirement Study. Follow-up for vital status was through 2020. Loneliness was measured using an 11-item abbreviated version of the UCLA Loneliness Scale (Version 3), including questions about lacking companionship and feeling isolated from others. A score was assigned according to the responses to each question, with 1 for least lonely, 2 for moderately lonely, and 3 for the loneliest option. Items were summed to create total loneliness scores for each individual, which were categorized into 4 levels: 11–12 (low/no loneliness), 13–15 (mild loneliness), 16–19 (moderate loneliness), and 20–33 (severe loneliness) based on the sample distribution. Time-varying Cox proportional hazard models with age as a time scale were used to examine the association of loneliness and survival among cancer survivors. Results: A total of 3,447 cancer survivors with 5,808 person-years of observation were included, with 1,402 (24.3%), 1,445 (24.5%), 1,418 (23.6%), and 1,543 (27.6%) reporting low/no, mild, moderate, and severe loneliness, respectively. Compared with survivors reporting low/no loneliness, survivors reporting greater loneliness had a higher mortality risk, with the highest adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) among the loneliest group (aHR, 1.67 [95% CI, 1.25–2.23]; P=.004) following a dose–response association. Conclusions: Elevated loneliness was associated with a higher mortality risk among cancer survivors. Programs to screen for loneliness among cancer survivors and to provide resources and support are warranted, especially considering the widespread social distancing that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Early Postoperative Mortality Among Patients Aged 75 Years or Older With Stage II/III Rectal Cancer

Helmneh M. Sineshaw, K. Robin Yabroff, V. Liana Tsikitis, Ahmedin Jemal, and Timur Mitin

Background: Elderly patients with rectal cancer have been excluded from randomized studies, thus little is known about their early postoperative mortality, which is critical for informed consent and treatment decisions. This study examined early mortality after surgery in elderly patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). Methods: Using the National Cancer Database, we identified patients aged ≥75 years, diagnosed with clinical stage II/III rectal cancer who underwent surgery in 2004 through 2015. Descriptive analyses determined proportions and trends and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to determine factors associated with early mortality after rectal cancer surgery. Results: Among 11,794 patients with rectal cancer aged ≥75 years, approximately 6% underwent local excision and 94% received radical resection. Overall 30-day, 90-day, and 6-month postoperative mortality rates were 4.2%, 7.8%, and 11.5%, respectively. Six-month mortality varied by age (8.4% in age 75–79 years to 18.3% in age ≥85 years), and comorbidity score (10.1% for comorbidity score 0 to 17.7% for comorbidity score ≥2). Six-month mortality declined from 12.3% in 2004 through 2007 to 10.2% in 2012 through 2015 (P trend=.0035). Older age, higher comorbidity score, and lower facility case volume were associated with higher 6-month mortality. Patients treated at NCI-designated centers had 30% lower odds of 6-month mortality compared with those treated at teaching/research centers. Conclusions: Six-month mortality rates after surgery among patients aged ≥75 years with LARC have declined steadily over the past decade in the United States. Older age, higher comorbidity score, and care at a low-case-volume facility were associated with higher 6-month mortality after surgery. This information is necessary for informed consent and decisions regarding optimal management of elderly patients with LARC.

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Paid Sick Leave Among Working Cancer Survivors and Its Associations With Use of Preventive Services in the United States

Zhiyuan Zheng, Stacey A. Fedewa, Farhad Islami, Leticia Nogueira, Xuesong Han, Jingxuan Zhao, Weishan Song, Ahmedin Jemal, and K. Robin Yabroff

Background: We sought to examine the lack of paid sick leave among working cancer survivors by sociodemographic/socioeconomic and employment characteristics and its association with preventive services use in the United States. Methods: Working cancer survivors (ages 18–64 years; n=7,995; weighted n=3.43 million) were identified using 2001–2018 National Health Interview Survey data. Adjusted prevalence of lack of paid sick leave by sociodemographic and socioeconomic characteristics, as well as job sector, working hours, and employer size, were generated using multivariable logistic regression models. Separate analyses examined the associations of lack of paid sick leave with use of various preventive services. Results: Of all working cancer survivors, 36.4% lacked paid sick leave (n=2,925; weighted n=1.25 million), especially those working in food/agriculture/construction/personal services occupations or industries (ranging from 54.9% to 88.5%). In adjusted analyses, working cancer survivors with lower household income (<200% of the federal poverty level, 48.7%), without a high school degree (43.3%), without health insurance coverage (70.6%), and who were self-employed (89.5%), were part-time workers (68.2%), or worked in small businesses (<50 employees, 48.8%) were most likely to lack paid sick leave. Lack of paid sick leave was associated with lower use of influenza vaccine (ages 18–39 years, 21.3% vs 33.3%; ages 40–49 years, 25.8% vs 38.3%; ages 50–64 years, 46.3% vs 52.4%; P<.001 for all), cholesterol screening (ages 18–39 years, 43.1% vs 62.5%; P<.05), and blood pressure check (ages 18–39 years, 43.1% vs 62.5%; P<.05) compared with survivors having paid sick leave. Conclusions: In the United States, more than one-third of all working cancer survivors and more than half of survivors working for small employers and in certain occupations/industries lack paid sick leave. Survivors with lower household income or educational attainment are particularly vulnerable. Moreover, lack of paid sick leave is associated with lower use of some recommended preventive services, suggesting that ensuring working cancer survivors have access to paid sick leave may be an important mechanism for reducing health disparities.

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Worry About Daily Financial Needs and Food Insecurity Among Cancer Survivors in the United States

Zhiyuan Zheng, Ahmedin Jemal, Reginald Tucker-Seeley, Matthew P. Banegas, Xuesong Han, Ashish Rai, Jingxuan Zhao, and K. Robin Yabroff

Background: A cancer diagnosis can impose substantial medical financial burden on individuals and may limit their ability to work. However, less is known about worry for nonmedical financial needs and food insecurity among cancer survivors. Methods: The National Health Interview Survey (2013–2017) was used to identify cancer survivors (age 18–39 years, n=771; age 40–64 years, n=4,269; age ≥65 years, n=7,101) and individuals without a cancer history (age 18–39 years, n=53,262; age 40–64 years, n=60,141; age ≥65 years, n=30,261). For both cancer survivors and the noncancer group, adjusted proportions were generated for (1) financial worry (“very/moderately/not worried”) about retirement, standard of living, monthly bills, and housing costs; and (2) food insecurity (“often/sometimes/not true”) regarding whether food would run out, the fact that food bought did not last, and the inability to afford balanced meals. Further adjusted analyses examined intensity measures (“severe/moderate/minor or none”) of financial worry and food insecurity among cancer survivors only. Results: Compared with individuals without a cancer history, cancer survivors aged 18 to 39 years reported consistently higher “very worried” levels regarding retirement (25.5% vs 16.9%; P<.001), standard of living (20.4% vs 12.9%; P<.001), monthly bills (14.9% vs 10.3%; P=.002), and housing costs (13.6% vs 8.9%; P=.001); and higher “often true” levels regarding worry about food running out (7.9% vs 4.6%; P=.004), food not lasting (7.6% vs 3.3%; P=.003), and being unable to afford balanced meals (6.3% vs 3.4%; P=.007). Findings were not as consistent for cancer survivors aged 40 to 64 years. In contrast, results were generally similar for adults aged ≥65 years with/without a cancer history. Among cancer survivors, 57.6% (age 18–39 years; P<.001), 51.9% (age 40–64 years; P<.001), and 23.8% (age ≥65 years; referent) reported severe/moderate financial worry intensity, and 27.0% (age 18–39 years; P<.001), 14.8% (age 40–64 years; P<.001), and 6.3% (age ≥65 years; referent) experienced severe/moderate food insecurity intensity. Lower income and higher comorbidities were generally associated with greater intensities of financial worry and food insecurity in all 3 age groups. Conclusions: Younger cancer survivors experience greater financial worry and food insecurity. In addition to coping with medical costs, cancer survivors with low income and multiple comorbidities struggle to pay for daily living needs, such as food, housing, and monthly bills.

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Association of Medicaid Expansion With Timely Receipt of Treatment and Survival Among Patients With HR-Negative, HER2-Positive Breast Cancer

Kewei Sylvia Shi, Xu Ji, Changchuan Jiang, Kathryn J. Ruddy, Sharon M. Castellino, K. Robin Yabroff, and Xuesong Han

Background: Hormone receptor (HR)–negative, HER2-positive (also called HER2-enriched) breast cancer has no worse prognosis than other breast cancers if it is treated with HER2-targeted therapy. Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has been shown to be associated with improved access to care and outcomes for many cancers, but its association with receipt of care for HR-negative, HER2-positive breast cancer is unknown. We examined the association of Medicaid expansion with receipt of guideline-concordant treatment, time to treatment initiation, and survival among nonelderly women newly diagnosed with HR-negative, HER2-positive breast cancer. Patients and Methods: Women aged 18 to 62 years newly diagnosed with HR-negative, HER2-positive breast cancer between 2010 and 2018 were identified from the National Cancer Database. Outcomes included receipt of stage-based guideline-concordant treatment, timely initiation of treatment (<30 days, <60 days, <90 days from diagnosis), and stage-specific 2-year overall survival. A difference-in-differences (DID) analytic approach compared outcome changes following Medicaid expansion in expansion versus nonexpansion states. Multivariable linear probability models were used to estimate treatment outcomes, and flexible parametric survival models were used to evaluate survival, adjusting for sociodemographic and clinical confounders. Results: A total of 31,401 patients were included. Medicaid expansion was associated with an increase of 0.58 percentage points (ppt; 95% CI, 0.01–1.16) in receipt of guideline-concordant treatment overall, a 2.43-ppt (95% CI, 0.68–4.18) increase in initiating guideline-concordant treatment <60 days after diagnosis, and a 1.17-ppt (95% CI, 0.02–2.32) increase in 2-year survival rate. The increase in 2-year survival associated with Medicaid expansion was most prominent for patients with stage III disease (DID, 3.81; 95% CI, 0.82–6.80). Conclusions: Medicaid expansion was associated with improved care and survival for patients with HR-negative, HER2-positive breast cancer, an aggressive cancer type for which prognosis largely depends on access to effective treatment.

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Medical Care Costs Associated With Cancer in Integrated Delivery Systems

Matthew P. Banegas, K. Robin Yabroff, Maureen C. O'Keeffe-Rosetti, Debra P. Ritzwoller, Paul A. Fishman, Ramzi G. Salloum, Jennifer Elston Lafata, and Mark C. Hornbrook

Background: The high economic burden of cancer is projected to continue growing. Cost-of-care estimates are key inputs for comparative effectiveness and economic analyses that aim to inform policies associated with cancer care. Existing estimates are based largely on SEER-Medicare data in the elderly, leaving a knowledge gap regarding costs for patients aged <65 years. Methods: We estimated total and net medical care costs using data on individuals diagnosed with breast, colorectal, lung, or prostate cancer (n=45,522) and noncancer controls (n=314,887) enrolled in 1 of 4 participating health plans. Net costs were defined as the difference in mean total costs between patients with cancer and controls. The phase-of-care approach and Kaplan-Meier Sample Average method were used to estimate mean total and net 1- and 5-year costs (in 2015 US dollars) by cancer site, stage at diagnosis, and age group (<65 and ≥65 years). Results: Total and net costs were consistently highest for lung cancer and lowest for prostate cancer. Net costs were higher across all cancer sites for patients aged <65 years than those aged ≥65 years. Medical care costs for all cancers increased with advanced stage at diagnosis. Conclusions: This study improves understanding of medical care costs for the 4 most common invasive cancers in the United States. Higher costs among patients aged <65 years highlight limitations of relying on SEER-Medicare data alone to understand the national burden of cancer, whereas higher costs for patients with advanced-stage cancer underscore the importance of early detection to curtail high long-term costs. These cost estimates can be used in the development and evaluation of interventions and policies across the cancer care continuum.