Post mastectomy reconstruction choice: Do race and ethnicity play a role?

Abstract

1586 Background: The choice regarding reconstruction after mastectomy is based on multiple factors. We hypothesized that race and ethnicity are associated with decision making regarding reconstruction and choice for bilateral mastectomy among a diverse patient population with equal access to reconstructive options. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed of patients who underwent mastectomy with or without reconstruction for cancer or prophylaxis from 1/1/2019-12/31/2020 within a single health care system. Clinical and demographicfeatures were recorded. Study endpoints included reconstruction and contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM) choice. Chi square and logistic regression analyses were performed with hypotheses tested at 5% significance level. Results: A total of 663 patients underwent mastectomy for cancer or prevention. Mean age was 54 (range: 24-93) and median BMI 25 (15-58). The majority of women included identified as Non-Hispanic White (NHW) (52%), with other women identifying as Hispanic, Asian, Non-Hispanic Black (NHB), or Other (Table). Of the total cohort, 647 (98%) patients had surgery for cancer, while 16 (2%) had surgery for prophylaxis. Among those with unilateral cancer (N=602, 91%), NHW women were more likely to get CPM (OR 2.12, p<.001), while NHB (OR 0.58, p=.02) and Asian women (OR 0.47, p=.01) were less likely to choose CPM. Asian women were less likely to undergo reconstruction compared to non-Asian women (OR=0.42, p=.01), while Hispanic women were almost twice as likely to undergo reconstruction compared to non-Hispanic women (OR 1.93, p=.016). Hispanic women were more likely to undergo a DIEP flap (OR 2.77, p <.001), while NHW women were more likely to choose implant reconstruction (OR 2.35, p<.001). Conclusions: In our hospital system, choice for reconstruction or CPM was found to differ based on race and ethnicity. NHW women were more likely to choose CPM and undergo implant-based reconstruction, Asian women were more likely to forgo reconstruction, and Hispanics were more likely to undergo DIEP flaps. Future analysis in this cohort will include other factors such as BMI, insurance status, religion, marital status, and employment status.[Table: see text]