Abstract 6478: Intracranial neoplasms: Disparities in access to care

Abstract

Abstract Purpose: Excision of intracranial neoplasms is a life-saving procedure. However, there is not much research that has demonstrated how demographic variables interact with a patient’s access to healthcare for intracranial neoplasms. Methods: The Nationwide Inpatient Sample was queried from 2018 to 2020 to identify patients with an intracranial neoplasm. Multivariable logistic regression with patient- and hospital-level characteristics as covariates was used to identify factors associated with receiving an intracranial tumor excision. Results: From 2018 to 2020, there were 97,795 hospital encounters with a primary diagnosis of an intracranial neoplasm. Of these patients, 64.6% underwent a tumor excision procedure during their hospital visit. The average age of all patients with intracranial neoplasm was 58.90.2 years. Most intracranial neoplasm patients were male (59.0%), White (73.8%), Medicare beneficiaries (45.1%), and of the highest income quartile (26.4%). These patients commonly presented to hospitals in the West (35.0%), with a medium number of beds (36.4%), and to rural hospitals (39.1%). The most common locations of these neoplasms were the frontal (18.9%), temporal (12.0%), and parietal (7.5%) lobes. Neoplasms in more than one location in the brain occurred in 5.8% of patients. Multivariable logistic regression identified the following factors as significantly associated with a decreased odds ratio (OR) of receiving an excision surgery: identifying as Black (OR=0.63; p<0.001), Hispanic (OR=0.82; p=0.001), or Asian or Pacific Islander (OR=0.78; p=0.009) and being a Medicaid Beneficiary (OR=0.84; p=0.008). Presenting to a hospital in the South (OR=1.30; p<0.001) or in the West (OR=1.38; p<0.001) were associated with higher chances of having a surgical excision. Conclusion: There are very substantial differences in access to care for brain cancer patients. Race and insurance status are related to a patient’s chance of receiving tumor excision therapy. Citation Format: Jayla Hsiung, Kamil Taneja, Lauren Ladehoff, Karan Patel, Eric Toloza. Intracranial neoplasms: Disparities in access to care [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 6478.