Survival of epithelial ovarian cancer in Black women: a society to cell approach in the African American Cancer Epidemiology Study (AACES)

Abstract Purpose: The five-year relative survival for epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is worse among Black women compared with White women. The causes for this disparity are likely multi-factorial but unclear as to date, no cohort study has focused specifically on Black EOC survivors. Here we present the African-American Cancer Epidemiology Study (AACES), the largest cohort of Black women diagnosed with EOC. Methods: Phase 1 began in 2010 as a multi-site population-based case-control study focused on risk, and phase 2 began enrolling newly diagnosed EOC cases in 2020. Phase 2 builds on existing infrastructure with the goal to increase the number of EOC cases by 50% and evaluate factors affecting survival with a society-to-cell approach. Both phases use rapid case ascertainment to identify potential participants and collect extensive survey data, biospecimens, medical record abstraction, and annual follow-up.Results: Phase 1 enrolled 592 women with EOC, with a median survival of 4.8 years as of 2021. These survival rates approximate those of Black women in SEER who survive at least 10 months past diagnosis. A high proportion of the cohort was found to have relatively low levels of household income, education, and insurance coverage. Conclusions and Implications for Cancer Survivors: AACES is well-positioned to evaluate the contribution of social determinants of health to the poor survival of Black women with EOC, advance understanding of the multi-factorial causes of the ovarian cancer survival disparity in Black women, and serve as an example of a multi-site, epidemiologic population-based study of a rare cancer in a minority population.