Influence of an AYA cancer program on cancer care delivery.

Authors

Jacob Stein

Jacob Newton Stein

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC

Jacob Newton Stein , Dawn Ritzwoller , Catherine Swift , Melissa Matson , Alexis Caroline Wardell , Hannah Clark Winslow , Austin Waters , Emily Ruth Haines , Lauren Lux , Andrew Brian Smitherman

Organizations

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chapel Hill, NC, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC

Research Funding

UNC

Background: Adolescent and young adults (AYAs, aged 13-39) with cancer face barriers to care and stagnant survival outcomes. The University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill's AYA Cancer Program, established in 2015, aims to address these challenges. The program operates through both consultations and targeted outreach based on patient risk-stratification, offering services such as fertility counseling, enhanced access to clinical trial enrollment, a dedicated sarcoma palliative care collaborative, survivorship clinic, and psychosocial support. AYA program providers work with patients to create tailored care plans that meet AYAs' psychosocial and medical needs. To better understand the reach and impact of this novel care delivery approach, we performed a retrospective cohort study over the 8-year period of program development. Methods: Using linked electronic health record (EHR) and State Cancer Registry data, we performed a retrospective cohort study of AYA patients at UNC from 2014-2022, comparing sociodemographic and clinical criteria between those with and without AYA Cancer Program contact. Our analysis included outcomes of care utilization, complications, and supportive care measures. Using SMR propensity weighting with multivariable log binomial modeling, we evaluated associations between outcomes and AYA program contact. Factors such as age at diagnosis, race, sex, insurance status, cancer site, metastatic disease, and receipt of systemic therapy were considered in the weighting scheme. Results: Of 4,016 AYAs receiving cancer care at UNC, 670 had contact with our program. Program-engaged patients were younger at diagnosis, more likely to be Black, and had higher rates of metastatic disease or hematologic malignancies. In weighted model analyses, program patients were more likely to receive guideline recommended care, including enrollment in a clinical trial, receipt of fertility counseling and palliative care, and documented advanced care planning. Over time, our program's reach expanded from 6% to more than 25% of the total AYA population. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that AYAs contacted by our program through a consult-based, targeted outreach model represent a distinct population with higher clinical needs. Despite this complexity, they were more likely to receive guideline-recommended care, including clinical trial enrollment, fertility counseling, and palliative care.

Care delivery outcomes by program contact.

No Program Contact (n= 3346)Program Contact (n=670)
Clinical Trial Enrollment882 (26.4%)301 (44.9%)1.31 (1.14, 1.49)
Fertility Counseling77 (2.3%)119 (17.8%)2.09 (1.56, 2.80)
Palliative Care102 (3.0%)125 (18.7%)3.46 (2.44, 4.91)
Advanced Care Planning176 (5.3%)91 (13.6%)1.55 (1.14, 2.11)

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Abstract Details

Meeting

2024 ASCO Quality Care Symposium

Session Type

Rapid Oral Abstract Session

Session Title

Rapid Oral Abstract Session B

Track

Patient Experience,Cost, Value, and Policy,Quality, Safety, and Implementation Science

Sub Track

Team-Based Approaches to Care Delivery

Citation

JCO Oncol Pract 20, 2024 (suppl 10; abstr 4)

DOI

10.1200/OP.2024.20.10_suppl.4

Abstract #

4

Abstract Disclosures

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