University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
Sandra C. Olisakwe , Luqin Deng , Jeffrey Franks , Nicole E. Caston , Courtney Williams , Andres Azuero , Chelsea McGowen , Bryanna Diaz , Carrie C. McNair , Sheila McElhany , D'Ambra Dent , Noon Eltoum , Katherine Parks , Joud El Dick , Bryan J. Weiner , Doris Howell , Angela M. Stover , Ethan Basch , Jennifer Young Pierce , Gabrielle Betty Rocque
Background: Disparities in pain management for Black patients with cancer are well-documented, but less is known about other symptom clusters like gastrointestinal (GI), respiratory, and urinary symptoms. This study assessed racial disparities in electronically reported symptom clusters among Black and White patients with cancer enrolled in a Remote Symptom Monitoring (RSM) program. Methods: Patients with cancer at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and the Mitchell Cancer Institute (MCI) reported symptoms weekly using the Patient Reported Outcomes version of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (PRO-CTCAEs). The GI symptom cluster included decreased appetite, nausea, vomiting, constipation, and diarrhea; the respiratory cluster included cough and shortness of breath; the urinary cluster included frequent urinary problems. We assessed the presence of any moderate/severe symptoms or any severe symptoms (triggering a nurse alert) in the clusters. The study evaluated surveys submitted within the first six months after RSM enrollment. Generalized linear mixed effects modeling with random effects adjusting for cancer type, sex, and age were used to calculate the odds of reporting any moderate/severe pain between Black and White patients. Results: Among 1454 patients (31% Black, 69% White), 17,937 surveys were analyzed. The median age for Black patients was 59 (IQR 47-66) and 63 (IQR 54-71) for White patients. Breast cancer was most common in both groups (36% Black, 23% White), followed by gynecological (20% Black, 17% White) and gastrointestinal cancers (19% Black, 18% White). At baseline, both races reported similar proportions of moderate/severe or severe symptom for all clusters (Table). During the first six months in the RSM program, symptom proportions remained similar (Table). These findings were consistent in adjusted analysis for the GI (OR 0.85; 95% CI 0.68-1.07), respiratory (OR 1.18; 95% CI 0.87-1.61), and urinary clusters (OR 0.92; 95% CI 0.61-1.39). Conclusions: Our findings suggest no significant racial disparities in reporting moderate/severe or severe symptoms among Black and White patients with cancer at baseline or within their initial six months in the RSM program across GI, respiratory, and urinary symptom clusters.
Total Surveys (N=17,937) | Baseline Surveys | 6 Months Surveys | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
White (n=999) | Black (n=455) | White (n=11,344) | Black (n=5139) | ||
Gastrointestinal Symptoms, No. (%) | |||||
Severe | 1376 (8) | 121 (12) | 59 (13) | 783 (7) | 413 (8) |
Moderate/Severe | 4701 (26) | 300 (30) | 130 (29) | 2971 (26) | 1300 (25) |
Respiratory Symptoms, No. (%) | |||||
Severe | 438 (2) | 28 (3) | 29 (6) | 241 (2) | 140 (3) |
Moderate/Severe | 1612 (9) | 90 (9) | 62 (14) | 996 (8) | 464 (9) |
Urinary Symptoms, No. (%) | |||||
Severe | 333 (2) | 31 (3) | 13 (3) | 184 (2) | 105 (2) |
Moderate/Severe | 620 (3) | 44 (4) | 21 (5) | 372 (3) | 183 (4) |
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