MA22.06 Longer Lung Cancer Time Intervals Amongst Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Patient Than Anglo-Australian Patients

Abstract

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide. Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) patients are especially vulnerable, with poorer outcomes than non-immigrant patients. The LEAD (Lung cancer diagnostic and treatment pathways: A comparison between CALD and Anglo-Australian patients) study aimed to measure and compare the lung cancer diagnostic and treatment pathways between CALD and Anglo-Australian patients. LEAD is a mixed-method, observational cohort study. The presentation reports findings from the quantitative arm comprising a patient questionnaire and reviews of patients’ hospital and general practice records. A total of 577 (407 Anglo-Australian and 170 CALD) patients were recruited from Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, and their hospital records were reviewed. The questionnaire was returned by 189 patients (135 Anglo-Australian and 54 CALD) and a record review was completed by the General Practitioners (GPs) of 99 patients (76 Anglo-Australian and 23 CALD). Survival and Cox regression analyses were conducted to examine differences in time intervals between the two groups. LEAD is funded by Cancer Council Australia with the assistance of Cancer Australia. CALD patients reported longer time intervals from referral to diagnosis (Median = 30 days, 95% CI = 26 - 34) than Anglo-Australian patients (Median = 17, 95% CI = 14 - 20), p =. 003, Exp (B) = 1.32. This difference persisted after the impact of relevant factors, such as age and stage of lung cancer, was taken into consideration. CALD patients also reported longer time in five other intervals, including from 1) symptom notification to GP presentation, 2) GP presentation to referral, 3) referral to treatment, 4) symptom notification to treatment, and 5) symptom notification to diagnosis. However, the differences in these five intervals failed to reach significance. LEAD is the first Australian study to comprehensively measure and compare the time intervals along the lung cancer pathways amongst CALD and Anglo-Australian patients. It found that CALD patients have longer time intervals from referral to diagnosis than Anglo-Australian patients.