Macroeconomic environment and insurance-mortality relationship: An analysis of gender-based disparity among non-elderly adult patients of melanoma and lung cancer.

Cancer patients exhibit disparity in mortality risks across demographic divisions as well as insurance groups. The effects of macroeconomic environment also vary for such strata. This study analyses the gaps between mortality risks for male and female cancer patients with and without insurance and examines how such gaps transform over time with macroeconomic shifts. Demographic, clinical and treatment records of 45,750 melanoma and 91,157 lung cancer patients diagnosed in 2007-2009 and 2011-2013 were extracted from Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database. Kaplan-Meier test was applied to ascertain survival probability of each insurance group, while Cox proportional hazard model was used to assess relative mortality risk for Medicaid and uninsured patients, for the whole data as well as separately for both time periods and genders. Both the hazard ratios and change thereof over time are greater for female patients without insurance, than for male patients. More than any insurance-gender subgroup, uninsured female patients of melanoma have much increased hazard ratios, from 1.41 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.04-1.92] to 2.22 [95% CI, 1.67-2.94]. Despite diagnostic improvements and technology advancements, the adverse effects of macroeconomic crisis are associated with increased relative mortality risks for cancer patients without insurance, more for women than men.

Adnan H ，Adnan SM ，Deng K ，Yang C ，Hou Y ，Ngo Nkondjock VR ，Li K ... -  《-》

Association of health insurance with outcomes in adults ages 18 to 64 years with melanoma in the United States.

Studies evaluating insurance status and melanoma outcomes are limited. We investigated whether health insurance correlates with more advanced disease, receipt of treatment, and survival in melanoma. This was a cross-sectional analysis of 61,650 patients with cutaneous melanoma using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. Under multivariate analysis, patients with either Medicaid insurance (hazard ratio, 1.83; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.65-2.04; P < .001) or uninsured status (hazard ratio, 1.63; 95% CI, 1.44-1.85; P < .001) were more likely to die of any cause, including melanoma. Uninsured compared with non-Medicaid insured cases more often presented with increasing tumor thickness (odds ratio [OR], 2.19; 95% CI, 1.76-2.73; P < .001) and presence of ulceration (OR, 1.64; 95% CI, 1.40-1.92; P < .001), and less often received treatment (OR, 1.87; 95% CI, 1.60-2.19; P < .001). Compared with non-Medicaid insured, Medicaid cases more often had increasing tumor thickness (OR, 2.36; 95% CI, 1.91-2.91; P < .001), advanced stage (OR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.37-1.85; P < .001), and presence of ulceration (OR, 1.40; 95% CI, 1.19-1.63; P < .001), and less often received treatment (OR, 1.61; 95% CI, 1.37-1.89; P < .001). This was a retrospective study. Patients with melanoma and Medicaid or uninsured status were more likely to present with advanced disease and were less likely to receive treatment, likely contributing to an overall and cause-specific survival detriment. Addressing access to care may help improve these outcomes.

Amini A ，Rusthoven CG ，Waxweiler TV ，Jones BL ，Fisher CM ，Karam SD ，Raben D ... -  《-》

Variation in insurance-mortality relationship amid macroeconomic shifts: a study of SEER female-specific cancer patients in USA.

Health insurance availability and affordability are vital elements in diagnosis and treatment of patients with cancer and thus constitute clinical significance as well. Although past studies have explored the disparity in mortality figures for patients with different insurance statuses, this population-based study is pioneering in analyzing the changes in cancer mortality risks over time amid macroeconomic shifts. The study uses Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) data of 424,889 non-elderly patients with breast, cervical, ovarian, and uterine cancer diagnosed during 2007-2010 and 2011-2015. In addition to discussing incidence figures and insurance patterns, the study uses Kaplan-Meier and Cox's proportional hazard models to examine the changes in survival probability and mortality risks for insurance-stratified patients with female-specific cancer across the two time periods. Patients without insurance have an increased risk of mortality over time relative to insured patients. Moreover, uninsured patients face this heightened risk more than Medicaid patients. Despite public policy measures as well as advancements in diagnostic facilities and treatment technology, the increased relative mortality of patients without insurance limits the long-term affordability of cancer treatment for economically vulnerable patients in comparison with insured patients.

Adnan H ，Adnan SM ，Deng K ，Yang C ，Zhao W ，Li K ... -  《-》

Breast cancer stage variation and survival in association with insurance status and sociodemographic factors in US women 18 to 64 years old.

Few population-based studies have examined the association between health insurance status and breast cancer stage at diagnosis and survival. The degree to which sociodemographic characteristics explain this association is also unclear. This study examined associations between insurance status and sociodemographic characteristics and stage at diagnosis and survival. Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results 18 registries database, we identified 52,048 women aged 18 to 64 years who were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007 and 2008. Associations between insurance status and sociodemographic variables and stage at diagnosis and survival were examined with logistic and Cox proportional hazards regression models to calculate adjusted odds ratios (ORs), hazard ratios (HRs), and associated confidence intervals (CIs). The odds of a later stage breast cancer diagnosis were increased in women with Medicaid (OR, 2.36; 95% CI, 2.19-2.55) and no insurance (OR, 2.64; 95% CI, 2.29-3.04) versus private insurance, in women who had reported black race (OR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.09-1.28) versus white race, in women who were unmarried (OR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.18-1.33) versus married at diagnosis, and in women who were 18 to 39 years old (OR, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.18-1.41) versus 40 to 64 years old at diagnosis. The hazard of breast cancer death was increased in association with Medicaid (HR, 1.40; 95% CI, 1.30-1.51) and no insurance (HR, 1.61; 95% CI, 1.41-1.84) versus private insurance, with reported black race (HR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.29-1.50) versus reported white race, and with being unmarried (HR, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.12-1.27) versus being married. Insurance status at diagnosis and sociodemographic factors are associated with breast cancer mortality. Factors underlying these associations warrant further study. Cancer 2017;123:3125-31. © 2017 American Cancer Society.

Hsu CD ，Wang X ，Habif DV Jr ，Ma CX ，Johnson KJ ... -  《-》

Relationship between Insurance Type at Diagnosis and Hepatocellular Carcinoma Survival.

Adler Jaffe S ，Myers O ，Meisner ALW ，Wiggins CL ，Hill DA ，McDougall JA ... -  《-》