Racial parity in rectal cancer treatment and outcomes within an integrated healthcare system.

Abstract

e15538 Background: This study evaluates survival outcomes of rectal adenocarcinoma patients treated at a large, integrated health system and whether there are differences in survival based on race. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of patients at Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC) who were treated between 2010-2019. Self-reported racial ethnic groups included Caucasian, African American, Hispanic, Asian, and Other. Kaplan Meier and Cox regression analyses were used to evaluate differences in race, age, stage, and treatment utilization in relation to overall survival. Results: A total of 3,589 patients were diagnosed with rectal adenocarcinoma from 2010-2019. There was a significant difference between race groups in stage at the time of diagnosis (p < .001) with more African Americans having localized disease (58.4%) compared to Hispanics (45.5%). Overall survival was longest for African American at 70.9 months but shortest for Hispanic at 60.6 months (p = 0.007). Hispanic patients were more likely to be male, younger, and with nodal disease. Conclusions: This study identified racial parity in survival outcomes for rectal cancer patients who were treated at a large, integrated healthcare system where patients have equal access to care. Improvement in outreach and screening should be tailored to the ethnic groups at higher risk for earlier age and more advanced disease at presentation.