Narrowing Racial Gaps in Breast Cancer: Factors Affecting Probability of Adjuvant Radiation Therapy.

PURPOSE: Adjuvant radiation therapy has historically been underused by black patients with breast cancer compared with white patients. We prospectively investigated factors, including sociocultural, psychosocial, and health care factors, that may be associated with the use or omission of adjuvant radiation therapy by both racial groups. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Women with primary invasive, nonmetastatic breast cancer were recruited from hospitals and through community outreach efforts in the Washington, DC, and Detroit, Michigan, areas between July 2006 and April 2011. Data were collected via telephone interviews regarding psychosocial (eg, self-efficacy) and health care factors (eg, communication) at the time they received a diagnosis. Clinical data were extracted from their medical charts after the completion of treatment. We examined the association among multiple demographic, socio-cultural, healthcare process factors and the use of radiotherapy. Logistic multivariable regression models identified associations with radiotherapy receipt. RESULTS: Among 395 eligible and consenting women, 315 had complete baseline data, and 217 were in the final analytical sample, having met criteria for adjuvant breast or chest wall radiation therapy after breast conservation surgery or mastectomy. Among women eligible for radiation, all were insured, 59% were black, the mean age was 55.4 years, and the majority had stage I or II disease. Overall, approximately 70% percent of women received adjuvant radiation therapy. On multivariable analyses, the likelihood of receiving adjuvant radiation therapy was higher for those who were black with any level of indication for radiation therapy (odds ratio 2.21; P < .01), those for whom comorbidities were present, and those who demonstrated positive sociocultural factors such as self-efficacy and high reported rates of provider communication about radiation therapy (odds ratio 1.20; P < .05). Among women with strong indications for radiation therapy, there was no significant association with race on multivariable analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that among women with any indication for radiation therapy, black patients were more likely to receive radiation therapy compared with white patients. Furthermore, data suggest improved provider communication and self-efficacy are important predictors of receipt of radiation therapy. Further studies exploring the effects of provider communication and sociocultural factors to diverse patient populations may be warranted.

Disparities in breast cancer surgery delay: the lingering effect of race.

BACKGROUND: Delays to surgical breast cancer treatment of 90 days or more may be associated with greater stage migration. We investigated racial disparities in time to receiving first surgical treatment in breast cancer patients. METHODS: Insured black (56 %) and white (44 %) women with primary breast cancer completed telephone interviews regarding psychosocial (e.g., self-efficacy) and health care factors (e.g., communication). Clinical data were extracted from medical charts. Time to surgery was measured as the days between diagnosis and definitive surgical treatment. We also examined delays of more than 90 days. Unadjusted hazard ratios (HRs) examined univariate relationships between delay outcomes and covariates. Cox proportional hazard models were used for multivariate analyses. RESULTS: Mean time to surgery was higher in blacks (mean 47 days) than whites (mean 33 days; p = .001). Black women were less likely to receive therapy before 90 days compared to white women after adjustment for covariates (HR .58; 95 % confidence interval .44, .78). Health care process factors were nonsignificant in multivariate models. Women with shorter delay reported Internet use (vs. not) and underwent breast-conserving surgery (vs. mastectomy) (p < .01). CONCLUSIONS: Prolonged delays to definitive breast cancer surgery persist among black women. Because the 90-day interval has been associated with poorer outcomes, interventions to address delay are needed.

Narrowing racial gaps in breast cancer chemotherapy initiation: the role of the patient-provider relationship.

Chemotherapy improves breast cancer survival but is underused more often in black than in white women. We examined associations between patient-physician relationships and chemotherapy initiation and timeliness of initiation among black and white patients. Women with primary invasive, non-metastatic breast cancer were recruited via hospitals (in Washington, DC and Detroit) and community outreach between July 2006 and April 2011. Data were collected via telephone interviews and medical records. Logistic regression models evaluated associations between chemotherapy initiation and independent variables. Since there were race interactions, analyses were race-stratified. Factors associated with time from surgery to chemotherapy initiation and delay of ≥90 days were evaluated with linear and logistic regressions, respectively. Among eligible women, 82.8 % were interviewed and 359 (90.9 %) of those had complete data. The odds of initiating chemotherapy were 3.26 times (95 % CI: 1.51, 7.06) higher among black women reporting greater communication with physicians (vs. lesser), after considering covariates. In contrast, the odds of starting chemotherapy were lower for white women reporting greater communication (vs. lesser) (adjusted OR 0.22, 95 % CI: 0.07, 0.73). The opposing direction of associations was also seen among the sub-set of black and white women with definitive clinical indications for chemotherapy. Among those initiating treatment, black women had longer mean time to the start of chemotherapy than whites (71.8 vs. 55.0 days, p = 0.005), but race was not significant after considering trust in oncologists, where initiation time decreased as trust increased, controlling for covariates. Black women were also more likely to delay ≥90 days than whites (27 vs. 8.3 %; p = 0.024), but this was not significant after considering religiosity. The patient-physician dyad and sociocultural factors may represent leverage points to improve chemotherapy patterns in black women.

Radiotherapy in the treatment of resectable rectal adenocarcinoma.

The goal of treatment is to cure whereas maintaining sphincter function and minimizing toxicity. Although the mainstay of the treatment is surgery, radiotherapy (RT) is used in a substantial proportion of patients depending on the location and extent of the tumor. The aim of this article is to discuss the role of RT in patients with resectable rectal adenocarcinoma. This article is a review of the pertinent literature. Results show that patients with T1N0 exophytic, well to moderately differentiated, mobile tumors < or = 3 cm in diameter may be treated with either transanal excision or endocavitary RT. The probability of cure with either approach is approximately 80% to 90% and depends on selection criteria. The advantages of endocavitary RT are that it is an outpatient procedure requiring, at most, local anesthesia and is suitable for elderly, infirm patients. The disadvantage is that few of these treatment units are available. Patients who experience a local-regional recurrence may be surgically salvaged. Patients who undergo transanal excision and have unfavorable pathologic findings including equivocal or close margins, poor differentiation, invasion of the muscularis propria, and/or endothelial-lined space invasion have a high risk of local-regional recurrence after surgery alone. The addition of postoperative RT improves the likelihood of cure from 85% to 90%. Patients presenting with unfavorable tumors that are borderline resectable with a transanal excision may be downstaged with preoperative RT and rendered suitable for a wide local excision. The addition of concomitant chemotherapy probably enhances downstaging and may improve the likelihood of sphincter preservation. Patients with T3 and/or N1 rectal cancers have a relatively high probability of local-regional recurrence after surgery alone. Preoperative RT and postoperative RT combined with adjuvant chemotherapy have been shown to significantly reduce the risk of local-regional recurrence and improve survival. Whether preoperative RT alone or combined with chemotherapy is more efficacious than postoperative chemoradiation remains unclear. Endocavitary RT or transanal excision is suitable for patients with T1N0 cancers. Depending on tumor location and extent, adjuvant RT may improve the probability of local-regional control and survival for patients with locally advanced rectal adenocarcinomas.

The dynamic tumor bed: volumetric changes in the lumpectomy cavity during breast-conserving therapy.

PURPOSE: To characterize the magnitude of volume change in the postoperative tumor bed before and during radiotherapy, and to identify any factors associated with large volumetric change. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Thirty-six consecutive patients with early-stage or preinvasive breast cancer underwent breast-conserving therapy at our institution between June 2006 and October 2007. Computed tomography (CT) scans of the breast were obtained shortly after surgery, before the start of radiotherapy (RT) for treatment planning, and, if applicable, before the tumor bed boost. Postoperative changes, seroma, and surgical clips were used to define the tumor bed through consensus agreement of 3 observers (B.P., D.I., and J.L.). Multiple variables were examined for correlation with volumetric change. RESULTS: Between the first and last scan obtained (median time, 7.2 weeks), the tumor bed volume decreased at least 20% in 86% of patients (n = 31) and at least 50% in 64% of patients (n = 23). From the postoperative scan to the planning scan (median time, 3 weeks), the tumor bed volume decreased by an average of 49.9%, or approximately 2.1% per postoperative day. From planning scan to boost scan (median interval, 7 weeks), the median tumor bed volume decreased by 44.6%, at an average rate of 0.95% per postoperative day. No single factor was significantly associated with a change in tumor bed volume greater than 20%. CONCLUSIONS: The average postlumpectomy cavity undergoes dramatic volumetric change after surgery and continues this change during RT. The rate of change is inversely proportional to the duration from surgery. In this study no factors studied predicted large volumetric change.

Long-term outcomes of radiotherapy for pituitary adenomas.

PURPOSE: To evaluate long-term local control and toxicity for pituitary adenomas treated with fractionated radiotherapy (RT). METHODS AND MATERIALS: The records of 100 patients with pituitary adenomas treated between 1983 and 2003 were retrospectively reviewed. Thirty-one patients had hormone-secreting tumors; 69 patients were treated with surgery and postoperative RT. Median follow-up was 6.7 years (range, 0.6-20.2 years) for all patients and 6.2 years (range, 2-20.2 years) for living patients. The mean dose delivered was 45 Gy (range, 43-50.4 Gy). RESULTS: The 10-year actuarial local control rates for nonsecreting and secreting adenomas were 98% and 73%, respectively (p = 0.0015). Actuarial 10-year cause-specific survival (CSS) rates were 95% and 88%, and overall survival rates were 66% and 79% for nonsecreting and secreting adenomas, respectively. Involvement of the sphenoid sinus was found to be significantly associated with decreased 10-year CSS (p = 0.0453). When compared with the two- or three-field techniques, stereotactic RT was associated with improved CSS (p = 0.0775). CSS was not significantly associated with hormone excretion, extent of surgery, or whether RT was administrated postoperatively or for salvage after a postsurgical recurrence. New cases of hypopituitarism occurred in 35 patients. One patient experienced vision loss, and one patient developed a post-treatment glioma. CONCLUSIONS: This is one of the most mature series in the literature that documents excellent results with fractionated RT for pituitary adenoma. We recommend 45 Gy at 1.8 Gy per fraction using stereotactic noncoplanar fields.