Racial Differences in Treatment Modalities Among Female Residents of Florida Diagnosed with Epithelial Ovarian Cancer

Abstract

Abstract

Objective: The aim of the current study was to examine whether there were racial differences in patterns of care between Non-Hispanic White (NHW) and African-American (AA) women diagnosed with regional and distant epithelial ovarian cancer living in Florida. Design: This epidemiologic cross-sectional study utilized data on incident cases of ovarian cancer diagnosed between 1981 and 2000 among Florida residents reported to the statewide Florida Cancer Data System (FCDS). Materials and Methods: The study population consisted of 13,858 AA and NHW women diagnosed with regional or distant epithelial ovarian cancer between 1981 and 2000 identified from using FCDS data. The variables of interest included: race/ethnicity, marital status, tobacco use, age at diagnosis, stage at diagnosis, surgery, chemotherapy, no treatment, other therapy, and a combination of surgery and chemotherapy. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to determine the receipt of treatment by stage and race among AA, compared to NHW, women. > Results: AA women were more likely to present with distant disease (89.6.0% versus 87.4%; P = 0.05), compared to NHW women. After adjustment for confounding factors, AA women diagnosed with regional or distant-stage disease were more likely to receive no treatment (OR = 1.22; 95% CI: 1.03–1.45) and less likely to receive surgery and chemotherapy, compared to NHW women (OR = 0.79; 95% CI: 0.68–0.91). Conclusions: AA women were more likely to receive no treatment and less likely to receive surgery and chemotherapy, compared to NHW women. Adjustment for confounding factors reduced, but did not completely eliminate, this disparity in care. (J GYNECOL SURG 26:15)