2 research outputs found
Supplementary Material for: Impact of Socioeconomic Status and Ethnicity on Melanoma Presentation and Recurrence in Caucasian Patients
<b><i>Objectives:</i></b> The impact of ethnicity and the socioeconomic status (SES) among Caucasians is not well studied. Here, we examine the impact of income on melanoma presentation and prognosis within a Caucasian cohort, accounting for ethnicity, as some reports suggest increased melanoma incidence in Ashkenazi Jewish (AJ) <i>BRCA</i> mutation carriers. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> We studied prospectively enrolled primary melanoma patients at New York University. SES data were estimated using United States' Census Bureau data and patient zip codes. We evaluated associations between ethnicity, SES, and baseline characteristics using the χ<sup>2</sup> test and multivariate logistic regression. We compared survival distributions using Kaplan-Meier curves, log-rank tests, and Cox proportional hazard ratios. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Of the 1,339 enrolled patients, AJ represented 32% (n = 423). Apart from AJ being older at presentation (p < 0.001), no significant differences were observed in baseline characteristics between ethnic groups. Patients with a median household income (MHI) lower than the median of the cohort were significantly more likely to present with advanced stages (p < 0.001) compared to patients with a higher MHI. Shorter overall (p = 0.016) and post-recurrence survival (p = 0.042) was also observed in patients from lower-income households. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> Data suggest that disparities in melanoma presentation in Caucasians stratify according to income independent of ethnic background
Supplementary Material for: Outcomes in Melanoma Patients Treated with BRAF/MEK-Directed Therapy or Immune Checkpoint Inhibition Stratified by Clinical Trial versus Standard of Care
<p><b><i>Objectives:</i></b> Since 2011, metastatic melanoma treatment
has evolved with commercial approval of BRAF- and MEK-targeted therapy
and CTLA-4- and PD-1-blocking antibodies (immune checkpoint inhibitors,
ICI). While novel therapies have demonstrated improved prognosis in
clinical trials, few studies have examined the evolution of prognosis
and toxicity of these drugs among an unselected population. We assess
whether survival and toxicity reported in trials, which typically
exclude most patients with brain metastases and poor performance status,
are recapitulated within a commercial access population. <b><i>Methods:</i></b>
182 patients diagnosed with stage IV melanoma from July 2006 to
December 2013 and treated with BRAF- and/or MEK-targeted therapy or ICI
were prospectively studied. Outcomes and clinicopathologic differences
between trial and commercial cohorts were assessed. <b><i>Results:</i></b>
Patients receiving commercial therapy (vs. on trial) had poorer
prognostic features (i.e., brain metastases) and lower median overall
survival (mOS) when assessed across all treatments (9.2 vs. 17.5 months,
<i>p</i> = 0.0027). While toxicity within trial and commercial cohorts
did not differ, patients who experienced toxicity had increased mOS (<i>p</i> < 0.001), irrespective of stratification by trial status or therapy. <b><i>Conclusion</i></b>:
Metastatic melanoma patients receiving commercial treatment may
represent a different clinical population with poor prognostic features
compared to trial patients. Toxicity may prognosticate treatment
benefit.</p