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Published on: December 9, 2016
Ethnic and racial differences in patients with Ewing sarcoma.
Jennifer Worch1, Katherine K Matthay, John Neuhaus
1Department of Pediatrics, University of California at San Francisco School of Medicine, 505 Parnassus Avenue, M646, San Francisco, CA 94143-0106, USA.
Cancer
|January 7, 2010
Summary
Racial and ethnic disparities exist in Ewing sarcoma (ES) presentation and outcomes. Black, Asian, and Hispanic patients had worse overall survival (OS) compared to white patients, indicating a need for further research into the causes of these differences.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Epidemiology
- Cancer Research
Background:
- Ewing sarcoma (ES) is a rare bone and soft tissue cancer.
- Race is a known risk factor for ES, with higher incidence in European populations.
- Previous studies suggest potential disparities in ES incidence and outcomes among different racial and ethnic groups.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate racial and ethnic variations in the clinical presentation of Ewing sarcoma.
- To evaluate differences in overall survival (OS) among diverse racial and ethnic groups diagnosed with ES before age 40.
- To identify potential disparities in ES patient characteristics and outcomes based on race and ethnicity.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database.
- Included 1715 patients under 40 years old diagnosed with ES between 1973 and 2005.
- Employed chi-square tests for group comparisons, Kaplan-Meier analysis for OS estimation, and log-rank tests/Cox models for survival comparisons.
Main Results:
- Black patients more frequently presented with soft-tissue ES compared to white non-Hispanic patients (P <.0001).
- Asian and white Hispanic patients showed intermediate soft-tissue tumor frequencies.
- White Hispanic patients had a higher proportion of larger tumors (P = .042), and Black patients tended to be older (P = .012).
- Overall survival (OS) was significantly worse for Black, Asian, and white Hispanic patients compared to white non-Hispanic patients, even after adjusting for confounders (P = .0031, P = .0182, P = .0051, respectively).
Conclusions:
- Significant racial and ethnic differences exist in the characteristics and outcomes of patients with Ewing sarcoma.
- These observed disparities in presentation and survival warrant further investigation into their underlying causes.
- Understanding the etiology of these differences is crucial for addressing health inequities in ES patient care.