Neighborhood social vulnerability and disparities in time to kidney cancer surgical treatment and survival in Arizona

BackgroundHispanics and American Indians (AI) have high kidney cancer incidence and mortality rates in Arizona. This study assessed: (1) whether racial and ethnic minority patients and patients from neighborhoods with high social vulnerability index (SVI) experience a longer time to surgery after clinical diagnosis, and (2) whether time to surgery, race and ethnicity, and SVI are associated with upstaging to pT3/pT4, disease-free survival (DFS), and overall survival (OS).MethodsArizona Cancer Registry (2009-2018) kidney and renal pelvis cases (n = 4592) were analyzed using logistic regression models to assess longer time to surgery and upstaging. Cox-regression hazard models were used to test DFS and OS.ResultsHispanic and AI patients with T1 tumors had a longer time to surgery than non-Hispanic White patients (median time of 56, 55, and 45 days, respectively). Living in neighborhoods with high (>= 75) overall SVI increased odds of a longer time to surgery for cT1a (OR 1.54, 95% CI: 1.02-2.31) and cT2 (OR 2.32, 95% CI: 1.13-4.73). Race and ethnicity were not associated with time to surgery. Among cT1a patients, a longer time to surgery increased odds of upstaging to pT3/pT4 (OR 1.95, 95% CI: 0.99-3.84). A longer time to surgery was associated with PFS (HR 1.52, 95% CI: 1.17-1.99) and OS (HR 1.63, 95% CI: 1.26-2.11). Among patients with cT2 tumor, living in high SVI neighborhoods was associated with worse OS (HR 1.66, 95% CI: 1.07-2.57).ConclusionsHigh social vulnerability was associated with increased time to surgery and poor survival after surgery. This study investigated whether racial and ethnic minority patients and patients from neighborhoods with high social vulnerability index experience a longer time to surgery for treatment of kidney cancer after clinical diagnosis, and whether a time to surgery, race and ethnicity, and SVI are associated with upstaging to pT3/pT4, disease-free survival, and overall survival in Arizona. This study found that high social vulnerability is associated with increased time to surgery and poor survival after surgery.image