Social Vulnerability and Risk of Nonrelapse Mortality After Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation

Assessing barriers to adjuvant therapy among patients with head and neck cancer in Arkansas

Advanced head and neck cancer (HNC) requires multimodal treatment and in the setting of primary curative intent surgery, adjuvant radiation with pathology-based chemotherapy is necessary for best outcomes. HNC treatment guidelines and best evidence support adjuvant radiation initiated within 6 weeks of surgery [1]. Over half of HNC patients face obstacles delaying adjuvant therapy, especially in rural areas [2]. This study assesses barriers to timely adjuvant therapy, specifically radiation in a rural tertiary setting. The study conducted was a retrospective mixed-methods analysis. The initial cohort consists of patients referred for adjuvant radiation therapy after curative intent head and neck surgery at a tertiary referral center, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, between 2020 and 2022. Demographic and socioeconomic data were collected and analyzed. Inclusion criteria for the study: patients referred for adjuvant therapy facing delays in treatment (> than 6 weeks) or deferring adjuvant treatment altogether. These patients and/or proxies were surveyed via telephone. Contact was made with 28 of the 46 patients meeting inclusion. 7 declined participation; 21 patients completed the survey personally, by proxy, or via family member. Among the respondents, the primary reasons for delaying adjuvant therapy include travel requirements/distance, general medical health, and financial constraints, with travel requirements/distance rated as the highest concern. Numerous obstacles to timely adjuvant therapy exist within our patient population. Understanding these barriers is crucial for improving timely access to adjuvant therapy and ultimately enhancing patient survivorship. Through individualized risk assessment, patient education, and resource management, we anticipate mitigating barriers to adjuvant therapy.

Social Vulnerability Index and Health Outcomes in the United States: A Systematic Review

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention created the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) for the purpose of allocating resources in times of emergency based on social determinants of health (SDOH). The purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate how the SVI tool has been applied in health care literature focused on health in the United States (US). A systematic literature review was conducted in 7 research databases with an 11-year time frame reflecting the launch of SVI, with the last search completed on September 29, 2022. Studies were included that involved humans, health, SVI, and conducted in the US. Articles were excluded if the SVI was used in COVID-19, disaster, pandemic, environment, or hazards. A total of 47 articles were included in the systematic review. The majority of studies analyzed individual/population health outcomes in clinical, surgical, mortality, or health promotion areas. The majority of studies showed a relationship between neighborhood-level SDOH and health outcomes. Study authors reported strengths, limitations, and recommendations of the SVI tool. A potential limitation of the study was the exclusion of studies that used the SVI related to disaster. The SVI represents a powerful tool to assess neighborhood-level SDOH and examine upstream drivers health outcomes with direct implications for research, policy, and practice.

Impact of Race and Ethnicity on Outcomes After Umbilical Cord Blood Transplantation

BACKGROUND

Umbilical cord blood transplant (UCBT) improves access to transplant for patients lacking a fully matched donor. Previous Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR) showed that Black patients had a lower overall survival (OS) than White patients following single UCBT. The current study draws on a larger modern cohort and compares outcomes among White, Latinx, Black, and Asian patients.

OBJECTIVE

To compare outcomes by social determinants of health.

STUDY DESIGN

We designed a retrospective study using CIBMTR data. US patients were between ages 1 and 80; 983 received single and 1529 double UCBT as reported to CIBMTR, following either a myeloablative (N = 1752) or reduced intensity conditioning (N = 759) for acute myeloid leukemia, acute lymphoid leukemia, or myelodysplasia. The primary outcome was 2-year OS. Secondary outcomes included disease free survival, transplant related mortality (TRM), acute and chronic graft vs host disease (GVHD), and GVHD free, relapse free survival (GRFS).

RESULTS

For 1705 adults, in univariate analysis, 2-year OS was 41.5% (99% CI, 37.6 to 45.3) for Whites, 36.1% (99% CI, 28.2 to 44.5) for Latinx, 45.8% (99% CI, 36.7 to 55.1) for Blacks, and 44.5% (99% CI, 33.6 to 55.6) for Asians. In multivariate analysis of adults, Latinx patients had inferior OS compared to black patients (p = .0005, HR 1.45, 99% CI 1.18 to 1.79). OS improved over time for all racial/ethnic groups. GVHD rates were comparable among the different racial/ethnic groups. In the 807 children, the 2-year OS in univariate analysis was 66.1% (99% CI, 59.7 to 72.2) for Whites, 57.1% (99%CI, 49 to 64.9) for Latinx, 46.8% (99%CI, 35.3 to 58.4) for Blacks, and 53.8% (99%CI, 32.7 to 74.2) for Asians. In multivariate analysis, no difference in OS was observed among racial/ethnic groups (p = .051). Grade III/IV acute GVHD was higher in Blacks compared with Whites (p = .0016, HR 2.25, 99% CI 1.36 to 3.74) and Latinx (p = .0016, HR 2.17, 99% CI 1.43 to 3.30). There was no survival advantage to receiving a UCB unit from a donor of similar race and ethnicity, for any racial/ethnic groups, for both children and adults. Black and Latinx adult patients were more likely to live in areas defined as high poverty. Patients from high poverty level areas had worse OS (p = .03), due to a higher rate of TRM (p=0.04). Educational level, and type of insurance did not impact overall survival, GVHD, TRM or other transplant outcomes. Children from areas with a higher poverty level had higher TRM, regardless of race and ethnicity (p = .02). Public health insurance, such as Medicaid, was also associated with a higher TRM (p = .02). However, poverty did not impact pediatric OS, DFS, or other post-transplant outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

OS for UCBT has improved over time. In adults, OS is comparable among Whites, Blacks, and Asians and lower for Latinx patients. In children, OS is comparable among Whites, Blacks, Latinx, and Asians, but Grade III/IV acute GVHD was higher in Black patients. There was no survival benefit to matching UCB unit and patient by race and ethnicity for adults and children.

Real-world and clinical trial outcomes in large B-cell lymphoma with axicabtagene ciloleucel across race and ethnicity

ABSTRACT

Axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel) is an autologous anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy approved for relapsed/refractory (R/R) large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL). Despite extensive data supporting its use, outcomes stratified by race and ethnicity groups are limited. Here, we report clinical outcomes with axi-cel in patients with R/R LBCL by race and ethnicity in both real-world and clinical trial settings. In the real-world setting, 1290 patients who received axi-cel between 2017 and 2020 were identified from the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research database; 106 and 169 patients were included from the ZUMA-1 and ZUMA-7 trials, respectively. Overall survival was consistent across race/ethnicity groups. However, non-Hispanic (NH) Black patients had lower overall response rate (OR, 0.37; 95% CI, 0.22-0.63) and lower complete response rate (OR, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.33-0.97) than NH White patients. NH Black patients also had a shorter progression-free survival vs NH White (HR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.04-1.90) and NH Asian patients (HR, 1.67; 95% CI, 1.08-2.59). NH Asian patients had a longer duration of response than NH White (HR, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.33-0.94) and Hispanic patients (HR, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.30-0.97). There was no difference in cytokine release syndrome by race/ethnicity; however, higher rates of any-grade immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome were observed in NH White patients than in other patients. These results provide important context when treating patients with R/R LBCL with CAR T-cell therapy across different racial and ethnic groups. ZUMA-1 and ZUMA-7 (ClinicalTrials.gov identifiers: #NCT02348216 and #NCT03391466, respectively) are registered on ClinicalTrials.gov.

Neighborhood-Level Disadvantage and Delayed Adjuvant Therapy in Head and Neck Cancer

Importance

For patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), initiation of postoperative radiation therapy (PORT) within 6 weeks of surgery is recommended by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Guidelines and the Commission on Cancer. Although individual-level measures of socioeconomic status are associated with receipt of timely, guideline-adherent PORT, the role of neighborhood-level disadvantage has not been examined.

Objective

To characterize the association of neighborhood-level disadvantage with delays in receiving PORT.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This retrospective cohort study included 681 adult patients with HNSCC undergoing curative-intent surgery and PORT from 2018 to 2020 at 4 US academic medical centers. The data were analyzed between June 21, 2023, and March 5, 2024.

Main Outcome Measures and Measures

The primary outcome was delay in initiating guideline-adherent PORT (ie, >6 weeks after surgery). Time-to-PORT (TTP) was a secondary outcome. Census block-level Area Deprivation Index (ADI) scores were calculated and reported as national percentiles (0-100); higher scores indicate greater deprivation. The association of ADI scores with PORT delay was assessed using multivariable logistic regression adjusted for demographic, clinical, and institutional characteristics. PORT initiation across ADI score population quartiles was evaluated with cumulative incidence plots and Cox models.

Results

Among 681 patients with HNSCC undergoing surgery and PORT (mean [SD] age, 61.5 [11.2] years; 487 [71.5%] men, 194 [29.5%] women) the PORT delay rate was 60.8% (414/681) and median (IQR) TTP was 46 (40-56) days. The median (IQR) ADI score was 62.0 (44.0-83.0). Each 25-point increase in ADI score was associated with a corresponding 32% increase in the adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of PORT delay (aOR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.07-1.63) on multivariable regression adjusted for institution, age, race and ethnicity, insurance, comorbidity, cancer subsite, stage, postoperative complications, care fragmentation, travel distance, and rurality. Increasing ADI score population quartiles were associated with increasing TTP (hazard ratio of PORT initiation, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.53-0.96; 0.59; 95% CI, 0.44-0.77; and 0.54; 95% CI, 0.41-0.72; for ADI quartiles 2, 3, and 4 vs ADI quartile 1, respectively).

Conclusions and Relevance

Increasing neighborhood-level disadvantage was independently associated with a greater likelihood of PORT delay and longer TTP in a dose-dependent manner. These findings indicate a critical need for the development of multilevel strategies to improve the equitable delivery of timely, guideline-adherent PORT.

The impact of social vulnerability index on survival following autologous stem cell transplant for multiple myeloma

Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (ASCT) is the standard of care for eligible patients with multiple myeloma (MM) to prolong progression-free survival (PFS). While several factors affect survival following ASCT, the impact of social determinants of health such as the CDC Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) is not well documented. This single-center retrospective analysis evaluated the impact of SVI on PFS following ASCT in MM patients. 225 patients with MM who underwent ASCT participated, with 51% transplanted in the last 5 years. At 5 years post-transplant, 55 (50%) achieved PFS and 66 (60%) remained alive. Higher SVI values were significantly associated with lower odds of PFS (OR = 0.521, p < 0.01, 95% CI [0.41, 0.66]) and OS (OR = 0.592, p < 0.01, 95% CI [0.46, 0.76]) post-transplant. Greater vulnerability scores in the socioeconomic status (OR = 0.890; 95% CI: [0.82, 0.96]), household characteristics (OR = 0.912; 95% CI: [0.87, 0.95]), and racial and ethnic minority status (OR = 0.854; 95% CI: [0.81, 0.90]) themes significantly worsened the odds of PFS. These results suggest high SVI areas may need more resources to achieve optimal PFS and OS. Future studies will focus on addressing factors within the socioeconomic status, household characteristics, and racial and ethnic minority subthemes, as these have a more pronounced effect on PFS.

Utilization and outcome disparities in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant in the United States

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (allo-HSCT) is increasingly being used in the United States (US) and across the world as a curative therapeutic option for patients with certain high-risk hematologic malignancies and non-malignant diseases. However, racial and ethnic disparities in utilization of the procedure and in outcome following transplant remain major problems. Racial and ethnic minority patients are consistently under-represented in the proportion of patients who undergo allo-HSCT in the US. The transplant outcomes in these patients are also inferior. The interrelated driving forces responsible for the differences in the utilization and transplant outcome of the medical intervention are socioeconomic status, complexity of the procedure, geographical barriers, and the results of differences in the genetics and comorbidities across different races. Bridging the disparity gaps is important not only to provide equity and inclusion in the utilization of this potentially life-saving procedure but also in ensuring that minority groups are well represented for research studies about allo-HSCT. This is required to determine interventions that may be more efficacious in particular racial and ethnic groups. Various strategies at the Federal, State, and Program levels have been designed to bridge the disparity gaps with varying successes. In this review paper, we will examine the disparities and discuss the strategies currently available to address the utilization and outcome gaps between patients of different races in the US.

Intensive care risk and long-term outcomes in pediatric allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant recipients

ABSTRACT

Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) can be complicated by life-threatening organ toxicity and infection necessitating intensive care. Epidemiologic data have been limited by single-center studies, poor database granularity, and a lack of long-term survivors. To identify contemporary trends in intensive care unit (ICU) use and long-term outcomes, we merged data from the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research and the Virtual Pediatric Systems databases. We identified 6995 pediatric patients with HCT aged ≤21 years who underwent first allogeneic HCT between 2008 and 2014 across 69 centers in the United States or Canada and followed patients until the year 2020. ICU admission was required for 1067 patients (8.3% by day +100, 12.8% by 1 year, and 15.3% by 5 years after HCT), and was linked to demographic background, pretransplant organ toxicity, allograft type and HLA-match, and the development of graft-versus-host disease or malignancy relapse. Survival to ICU discharge was 85.7%, but more than half of ICU survivors required ICU readmission, leading to 52.5% and 42.6% survival at 1- and 5-years post-ICU transfer, respectively. ICU survival was worse among patients with malignant disease, poor pretransplant organ function, and alloreactivity risk factors. Among 1-year HCT survivors, those who required ICU in the first year had 10% lower survival at 5 years and developed new dialysis-dependent renal failure at a greater rate (P<.001). Thus, although ICU management is common and survival to ICU discharge is high, ongoing complications necessitate recurrent ICU admission and lead to a poor 1-year outcome in select patients who are at high risk.

Critical Illness Risk and Long-Term Outcomes Following Intensive Care in Pediatric Hematopoietic Cell Transplant Recipients

Background

Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) can be complicated by the development of organ toxicity and infection necessitating intensive care. Risk factors for intensive care admission are unclear due to heterogeneity across centers, and long-term outcome data after intensive care are sparse due to a historical paucity of survivors.

Methods

The Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR) was queried to identify patients age ≤21 years who underwent a 1st allogeneic HCT between 2008-2014 in the United States or Canada. Records were cross-referenced with the Virtual Pediatric Systems pediatric ICU database to identify intensive care admissions. CIBMTR follow-up data were collected through the year 2020.

Result

We identified 6,995 pediatric HCT patients from 69 HCT centers, of whom 1,067 required post-HCT intensive care. The cumulative incidence of PICU admission was 8.3% at day +100, 12.8% at 1 year, and 15.3% at 5 years post HCT. PICU admission was linked to younger age, lower median zip code income, Black or multiracial background, pre-transplant organ toxicity, pre-transplant CMV seropositivity, use of umbilical cord blood and/or HLA-mismatched allografts, and the development of post-HCT graft-versus-host disease or malignancy relapse. Among PICU patients, survival to ICU discharge was 85.7% but more than half of ICU survivors were readmitted to a PICU during the study interval. Overall survival from the time of 1st PICU admission was 52.5% at 1 year and 42.6% at 5 years. Long-term post-ICU survival was worse among patients with malignant disease (particularly if relapsed), as well as those with poor pre-transplant organ function and alloreactivity risk-factors. In a landmark analysis of all 1-year HCT survivors, those who required intensive care in the first year had 10% lower survival at 5 years (77.1% vs. 87.0%, p<0.001) and developed new dialysis-dependent renal failure at a greater rate (p<0.001).

Conclusions

Intensive care management is common in pediatric HCT patients. Survival to ICU discharge is high, but ongoing complications necessitate recurrent ICU admission and lead to a poor 1-year outcome in many patients. Together, these data suggest an ongoing burden of toxicity in pediatric HCT patients that continues to limit long-term survival.

Risk of Frailty in Survivors of Childhood Cancer: The Role of Socioenvironmental Factors

The identification of frailty among relatively young survivors of childhood cancer has led to a growing body of work aimed at examining potential risk factors and interventions to decrease its burden in this population. In the accompanying article, Schwartz and colleagues present their findings regarding the association between neighborhood characteristics and frailty in survivors of childhood cancer and show that survivors living in resource poor neighborhoods had increased odds of frailty compared with those in resource-rich neighborhoods. This work further supports the need for focused educational initiatives and nutrition and exercise interventions to improve survivors' quality of health. See related article by Schwartz et al., p. 1021.

The use of prognostic models in allogeneic transplants: a perspective guide for clinicians and investigators

Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) can cure many hematologic diseases, but it carries the potential risk of increased morbidity and mortality rates. Prognostic evaluation is a scientific entity at the core of care for potential recipients of HCT. It can improve the decision-making process of transplant vs no transplant, help choose the best transplant strategy and allows for future trials targeting patients' intolerances to transplant; hence, it ultimately improves transplant outcomes. Prognostic models are key for appropriate actuarial outcome estimates, which have frequently been shown to be better than physicians' subjective estimates. To make the most accurate prognostic evaluation for HCT, one should rely on >1 prognostic model. For relapse and relapse-related mortality risks, the refined disease risk index is currently the most informative model. It can be supplemented with disease-specific models that consider genetic mutations as predictors in addition to information on measurable residual disease. For nonrelapse mortality and HCT-related morbidity risks, the HCT-comorbidity index and Karnofsky performance status have proven to be the most reliable and most accepted by physicians. These can be supplemented with gait speed as a measure of frailty. Some other global prognostic models might add additional prognostic information. Physicians' educated perceptions can then put this information into context, taking into consideration conditioning regimen and donor choices. The future of transplant mandates (1) clinical investigators specifically trained in prognostication, (2) increased reliance on geriatric assessment, (3) the use of novel biomarkers such as genetic variants, and (4) the successful application of novel statistical methods such as machine learning.

Racial disparities in diabetes prevalence among cancer patients

Introduction

Cancer inequity is one of the most critical public health issues faced by ethnic minorities and people of lower socioeconomic status. The disparate burden of cancer is caused by poor access to care and inadequate delivery of cancer treatment, as well as comorbid and co-occurring conditions. Diabetes is a common and serious comorbid condition of cancer.

Methods

To better understand diabetes prevalence among diverse cancer patients, this study analyzed and described characteristics of cancer patients with diabetes from local-level Service Planning Area (SPA) data using City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center data, and United States national-level data from The National Health Interview Survey.

Results

Findings from national level data showed that patients in racial/ethnic minority groups had a higher occurrence of being diagnosed with diabetes, especially for non-Hispanic Blacks (OR=1.76, 95% CI=1.51, 2.03) and Hispanic/Latino individuals (OR=1.34, 95% CI=1.18, 1.52). Cancer patients who are older, ethnic minority, overweight/obese and with lower educational levels were more likely to have co-occurring diabetes. SPA-level patient data found similar results.

Discussion

In response to our findings and other reports, clinicians and health system including health coverage organizations should routinely assess cancer patients for cooccurring chronic illnesses, in particular diabetes. Interventions improving coordinated care that integrates oncology, endocrinology and primary care, targeting cancer patients --especially racial/ethnic minorities, overweight/obese, and older patients who are at increased risk for diabetes -- ought to be considered as best practice Whole Person care. With coordinated care management, ethnic disparities in cancer may be better addressed and reduced. Additionally, policymakers can contribute by enacting policies improving access to and coverage of integrated oncology, chronic disease prevention, and associated specialty care i.e., endocrinology to equalize quality care for ethnic minority, lower educated, overweight/obese and older cancer patients who are more likely to suffer greater comorbidity, and inadequate oncology and coordinated care to reduce disparities.