Race Differences in Patient-Reported Symptoms during Chemotherapy among Women with Early-Stage Hormone Receptor-Positive Breast Cancer

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Xin Hu, Emory University; Cameron M. Kaplan, University of Southern California; Michelle Y. Martin, University of Tennessee; Mark S. Walker, ConcertAI; Edward Stepanski, ConcertAI; Lee S. Schwartzberg, Renown Institute for Cancer; Gregory A. Vidal, West Cancer Center; Ilana Graetz, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2023-02-01
• Publisher: AMER ASSOC CANCER RESEARCH
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: 2022 American Association for Cancer Research
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-22-0692
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: CANCER EPIDEMIOLOGY BIOMARKERS & PREVENTION
• Volume: 32
• Issue: 2
• Start Page: 167
• End Page: 174
• Grant/Funding Information: This work was supported by the National Cancer Institute (R21CA208161, I. Graetz).
• Keywords: PAIN; DISTRESS; AFRICAN-AMERICAN; Oncology; RACIAL-DIFFERENCES; Science & Technology; QUALITY-OF-LIFE; DISPARITIES; Public, Environmental & Occupational Health; OUTCOMES; COHORT; HEALTH; SURVIVAL; Life Sciences & Biomedicine
• Research Categories: Sociology, Ethnic and Racial Studies; Health Sciences, Oncology

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Symptom burden differences may contribute to racial disparities in breast cancer survival. We compared symptom changes from before to during chemotherapy among women with breast cancer. METHODS: This observational study followed a cohort of Black and White women diagnosed with Stage I-III, hormone receptor-positive breast cancer from a large cancer center in 2007 to 2015, and reported symptoms before and during chemotherapy. We identified patients who experienced a one-standard deviation (SD) increase in symptom burden after starting chemotherapy using four validated composite scores (General Physical Symptoms, Treatment Side Effects, Acute Distress, and Despair). Kitagawa-Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition was used to quantify race differences in symptom changes explained by baseline characteristics (sociodemographic, baseline scores, cancer stage) and first-line chemotherapy regimens. RESULTS: Among 1,273 patients, Black women (n = 405, 31.8%) were more likely to report one-SD increase in General Physical Symptoms (55.6% vs. 48.2%, P = 0.015), Treatment Side Effects (74.0% vs. 63.4%, P < 0.001), and Acute Distress (27.4% vs. 20.0%, P = 0.010) than White women. Baseline characteristics and first-line chemotherapy regimens explained a large and significant proportion of the difference in Acute Distress changes (93.7%, P = 0.001), but not General Physical Symptoms (25.7%, P = 0.25) or Treatment Side Effects (16.4%, P = 0.28). CONCLUSIONS: Black women with early-stage breast cancer were more likely to experience significant increases in physical and psychological symptom burden during chemotherapy. Most of the difference in physical symptom changes remained unexplained by baseline characteristics, which suggests inadequate symptom management among Black women. IMPACT: Future studies should identify strategies to improve symptom management among Black women and reduce differences in symptom burden. See related commentary by Rosenzweig and Mazanec, p. 157.