Abstract PO-077: Access to care as a contributing factor to underlying disparities in Hispanic women with ovarian cancer in the United States

Abstract

Abstract In the United States, ovarian cancer accounts for only 3% of all cancers in U.S. women. Ovarian cancer trends in the United States report the highest incidence in non-Hispanic white women with Hispanic women having the second highest incidence. Ovarian cancer disparities are present within the Hispanic population because Hispanic women are more likely to be diagnosed with ovarian cancer, not only at an earlier age than non-Hispanic groups, but also at an earlier stage (I-II). Ovarian cancer has the highest mortality among gynecological malignancies in Hispanics, resulting from various factors including unequal access to screening and treatment disparities, such as adherence to treatment and volume-outcome paradigm. Outcomes are paradoxical among Hispanic women, because while a high proportion are diagnosed younger and at early stages, typically associated with improved survival outcomes, they are more likely to not receive the standard of care, which involves more than providing insurance, access, and the services patients need. Inequitable access to care can lead to noticeable differences in health, especially within the Hispanic community in the United States. Our objective is to define access within a conceptual framework of five dimensions—1) approachability; 2) acceptability; 3) availability and accommodation; 4) affordability; and 5) appropriateness—specifically in relation to ovarian cancer disparities in Hispanic women in the US. Utilizing these dimensions, we summarize available knowledge about how inequitable access to care contributes to the underlying disparities that Hispanic women in the US experience, focusing particularly on social determinants of health, as well as adherence to care and the volume-outcome relationship. The health care system needs to develop innovative strategies to educate and inform the surrounding Hispanic communities Despite the limited data available, we summarize the available literature and propose the application of different strategies to help address the potential—systemic, logistic, and geographic—barriers that affect how Hispanic women with ovarian cancer access health care, in order to implement a health care delivery system that is equitable. Citation Format: Claudia B. Schiavo, Guillermo Armaiz. Access to care as a contributing factor to underlying disparities in Hispanic women with ovarian cancer in the United States [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Conference: 14th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2021 Oct 6-8. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2022;31(1 Suppl):Abstract nr PO-077.