Impact of access to NCI/NCCN-designated cancer centers (CC) on overall survival (OS) in multiple myeloma (MM) patients (pts).

Abstract

e17570 Background: NCI/NCCN designated CC offer cancer pts state-of-the-art treatment, access to expertise and clinical trials. Their impact on pt outcomes has not been systematically evaluated, especially for racial minorities where disparities in healthcare access and outcomes are known to exist. We undertook such an analysis for MM pts. Methods: Adult pts with MM diagnosed 1973-2011 were identified from Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) registry and stratified by county of residence at time of MM diagnosis (Dx) and year (yr) of CC designation (those after 2011 were excluded). Pts and NCI/NCCN CC in counties not contributing to SEER registry were excluded from analysis. Influence of NCI/NCCN CC access (noted as 0, 1 or ≥2 per county), race and yr of Dx on OS was evaluated by Cox regression model. Results: Counties with 0, 1 or >2 NCI CC (4, 13 and 2, respectively) and with 0 or 1 NCCN CC (9 and 5, respectively) were identified with total of 71,364 pts (male: 38,361; female: 33,003). Pts b...