Racial disparities in anaplastic oligodendroglioma: An analysis on 1643 patients

The objective of our study is to determine the influence of race on overall survival (OS) for anaplastic oligodendroglioma (AO). Data were extracted from the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB). Chi-square test, Kaplan-Meier method, and Cox regression models were employed in SPSS 22.0 (Armonk, NY: IBM Corp.) for data analyses. 1643 patients with AO were identified. 1386 (84.3%) were White, 83 (5.0%) Black, 133 (8.1%) Hispanic, and 41 (2.5%) were Asian. White and Black patients were significantly older than Hispanic and Asian patients (49.3% vs. 49.4% vs. 33.1% vs. 39.0%, p = 0.003). Black patients were significantly less likely to be insured than White patients (12.8 vs. 7.2%, p < 0.001) and significantly more likely to have lower income than other races (p < 0.001). A trend towards higher comorbidity burden and lower rate of gross total resection was seen in Black patients. Black patients had significantly worse five-year OS compared to White, Hispanic, and Asian patients (40.3% vs. 52.3% vs. 67.8% vs. 67.7%, p = 0.028). Of those who received adjuvant chemoRT, Black patients still had significantly worse OS compared to White patients (p = 0.021). On multivariate analysis, Black race, older age at diagnosis, and not receiving adjuvant chemoradiotherapy were independent prognostic factors for worse OS in anaplastic oligodendroglioma. Future studies are warranted to help determine predictors for unfavorable molecular status, ways to optimize management of comorbidities, and interventions to help ensure adequate access to medical care for all patients to better care for those who may be at more risk for poorer outcome.