Abstract SP027: Treatment differences and consequences

Abstract

Abstract Breast cancer is the deadliest cancer among women worldwide, with a total of over half a million deaths annually impacting both developed and developing countries. With an estimated 276,480 breast cancer cases projected to occur in women in the U.S., it is estimated that 42,170 women will die in 2020 due to this devastating disease. Despite the decrease in breast cancer mortality rates seen in recent years, the magnitude of that decrease in not similar across populations. In the U.S the burden of cancer is not shouldered equally. It is well known that racial and ethnic minority populations are more likely to experience cancer health disparities. While potential contributing factors associated with this phenomenon include the fact that certain groups of patients are more likely to be diagnosed with more advanced stages and to have tumors with more aggressive biology, sociodemographic factors and difficulty accessing medical care play an important role. Unfortunately, cancer care delivery is not the same for all and this can seriously hinder the cancer outcomes of those affected. Across the cancer care continuum -from screening, diagnosis, and all the way to treatment, survivorship or end-of life care-, important disparities exist leading to worse outcomes. It has been well described that Black and Hispanic women are less likely to receive appropriate and timely breast cancer treatment. Furthermore, the complex, and in many cases long treatments needed to achieve the desired outcomes, force patients to face issues associated with navigating the health care system, making life changes to accommodate treatment, and ensuring continuation and treatment adherence. In this presentation, we will review the complexities of breast cancer diagnosis and treatment and review some of the data regarding the detrimental impact associated to treatment delays. Improving cancer care delivery and ensuring access to timely and high-quality care should be a priority. We will briefly revise some of the strategies designed to overcome health disparities and hopefully, improve breast cancer outcomes. Citation Format: M Chavez Mac Gregor. Treatment differences and consequences [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2020 San Antonio Breast Cancer Virtual Symposium; 2020 Dec 8-11; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(4 Suppl):Abstract nr SP027.