Khanna S, et al. - This retrospective analysis was performed to assess the influence of patient demographics, tumor characteristics, and treatment type on time to treatment (TTT) in patients with breast cancer treated at a safety net medical center with a diverse patient population. Longer TTT, more chances to receive chemotherapy as first treatment, and a single marital status were noted among Black patients.

Methods

• This study included a total of 1,130 patients diagnosed and treated for breast cancer between 2004 and 2014 at researchers' institution.
• Data on patient age at diagnosis, race/ethnicity, primary language spoken, marital status, insurance coverage, American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage, hormone receptor status, and treatment dates were retrospectively collected.
• TTT was determined from the date of breast cancer biopsy to treatment start date.
• Researchers employed nonparametric Mann–Whitney U-test (or Kruskal–Wallis test when appropriate) and multivariable quantile regression models to evaluate for significant differences in TTT related to each factor.

Results

• Findings demonstrated longer median TTT for Black (P=0.002) and single (P=0.002) patients.
• Researchers found that AJCC stage IV patients vs earlier AJCC patients had shorter TTT (27.5 days) (36, 35, 37, 37 days for stage 0, I, II, III, respectively), P=0.028.
• No significant influence of age, primary language spoken, insurance coverage, and hormone receptor status on TTT was observed.
• Race/ethnicity continued to be the only significant factor with Black reporting longer TTT, P=0.025, as evident in multivariate analysis.
• However, it was noted that race was not a significant factor for time from first to second treatment.
• When compared with White, Hispanic, or other race/ethnicity patients, more Black patients were noted to be single (P<0.0001) and received chemotherapy as first treatment (P=0.008).