Demographic differences in early vs. late-stage laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Public Health
• Health Disparities

Background:

• Laryngeal cancer diagnosis stage significantly impacts patient prognosis.
• Understanding demographic influences on diagnosis stage is crucial for addressing health inequities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate how demographic factors affect the stage at diagnosis for laryngeal cancer.
• To identify patient groups with higher likelihoods of late-stage diagnosis.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 96,409 laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma cases from the National Cancer Database (2004-2020).
• Comparison of early-stage (0 or I) versus late-stage (IV) cancers using Chi-square and multivariate analysis.
• Inclusion of demographic variables, insurance status, socioeconomic factors, and comorbidity scores.

Main Results:

• Female, Black, and older patients were more likely to be diagnosed with late-stage laryngeal cancer.
• Lack of insurance, lower household income, lower educational attainment in an area, and higher Charlson-Deyo scores were associated with later diagnoses.
• Treatment at non-community cancer programs and living in less populous areas correlated with later stage diagnosis.

Conclusions:

• Identified key demographic and socioeconomic factors contributing to late-stage laryngeal cancer diagnosis.
• Findings underscore significant healthcare inequities in cancer diagnosis and treatment.
• Data supports targeted interventions to improve early detection among vulnerable populations.