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Disparities in Pulmonary Metastasectomy
1Department of Thoracic & Cardiovascular Surgery, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
Thoracic Surgery Clinics
|April 17, 2025
Summary
Pulmonary metastasectomy improves survival for select patients, but access varies by race, socioeconomic status, and insurance. Addressing biases and systemic barriers is key to equitable thoracic surgical care.
Area of Science:
- Thoracic Surgery
- Surgical Oncology
- Health Services Research
Background:
- Pulmonary metastasectomy offers survival benefits for select patients with metastatic disease.
- Significant disparities in access to this procedure exist, influenced by race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and insurance coverage.
- Factors like patient age, hospital characteristics, and socioeconomic conditions impact procedural likelihood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine disparities in access to pulmonary metastasectomy.
- To identify factors contributing to unequal access.
- To propose strategies for improving equitable access to thoracic surgical oncology care.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of patient demographics, socioeconomic factors, and insurance status.
- Evaluation of hospital characteristics and their influence on surgical access.
- Review of systemic barriers and implicit biases in healthcare delivery.
Main Results:
- Access to pulmonary metastasectomy is unevenly distributed across different racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups.
- Provider biases and systemic healthcare barriers contribute to these disparities.
- Age and hospital-level factors also play a role in determining access.
Conclusions:
- Equitable access to pulmonary metastasectomy is critical for improving survival in metastatic disease.
- Strategies to mitigate implicit bias and systemic barriers are essential.
- Standardized surgical selection criteria and improved access to specialized centers are needed for fair thoracic surgical outcomes.
