Analysis of demographic characteristics of malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor in adults: A National Cancer Database study.

Abstract

e23555 Background: Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST) is a rare cancer involving the peripheral nerve sheath. Even though the 5-year post-surgical resection survival rate is only 30 to 40%, the epidemiology is not well understood, and looking at trends in demographics could provide insight into factors potentially contributing to poor prognosis. A previous National Cancer Database (NCDB) study investigated demographics in pediatric patients with MPNST. This study analyzed NCDB data to investigate the demographics of adults with MPNST. Methods: Adult patients with a histologic diagnosis of MPNST were retrospectively examined in a cohort analysis using demographic information from the NCDB from 2004 – 2020 (N = 414). Regression analysis was used to describe incidence trends. Demographics (age, sex, race, Hispanic origin, income, insurance status, area of residence, facility type, distance from facility, and Charlson-Deyo score) were explored through descriptive statistics. Palliative care enrollment and mortality rate was examined. Results: 414 patients with age > 18 were identified in the NCDB database with a confirmed diagnosis of MPNST between the years 2004 – 2020. There was a slight increase in incidence of patients diagnosed per year (R2 = 0.254). The average age of diagnosis was 47.0 years (SD = 17.2, range = 19 – 88 years) with more males (51.4%) affected than females (48.6%). The most common primary sites were the retroperitoneum (32.4%), spinal cord (24.4%), and cranial nerves (15.0%). A majority of individuals (82.6%) had Charlson-Deyo comorbidity scores of 0. Individuals most commonly affected were White (79.7%) or Black (14.3%), and non-Hispanic (87.4%). Patients most commonly were in the top quartile of household income (31.6%), had private insurance (53.6%), lived in metropolitan counties (83.8%), and received treatment at an academic/research program (62.2%). Patients lived on average 61.6 miles (SD = 145.7, range = 0.5 – 1454.9) from the facility. The 90-day mortality rate post-surgery was 10.5%. The overwhelming majority of patients did not receive palliative care (94.4%). Conclusions: This is the first NCDB analysis on the demographics of MPNST in adults, providing information that bridges the gap in knowledge. This analysis showed that the retroperitoneum was the most common tumor site, and that the average age of diagnosis was 47 years, consistent with previous reports. Patients were most likely to be White, non-Hispanic, upper quartile income earners, privately insured, treated at an academic facility, and live in metropolitan counties. With the majority of patients receiving no palliative care, it’s possible that palliative care is underutilized and may benefit MPNST patients given the poor prognosis. Additional research on the relationship between socioeconomic status and palliative care access may provide information on this discrepancy.