Global BulletinAll NewsFDA Approval AlertWomen in Oncology
Expert InterviewsAround the PracticeBetween the LinesFace OffFrom All AnglesMeeting of the MindsOncViewPodcastsTraining AcademyTreatment Algorithms with the Oncology Brothers
Conferences
All JournalsEditorial BoardFor AuthorsYear in Review
Frontline ForumSatellite Sessions
CME/CE
Awareness MonthInteractive ToolsNurse Practitioners/Physician's AssistantsPartnersSponsoredSponsored Media
Career CenterSubscribe
Adverse Effects
Brain Cancer
Breast CancerBreast CancerBreast Cancer
Gastrointestinal CancerGastrointestinal CancerGastrointestinal CancerGastrointestinal CancerGastrointestinal CancerGastrointestinal Cancer
Genitourinary CancersGenitourinary CancersGenitourinary CancersGenitourinary Cancers
Gynecologic CancersGynecologic CancersGynecologic CancersGynecologic Cancers
Head & Neck Cancer
Hematologic OncologyHematologic OncologyHematologic OncologyHematologic Oncology
InfectionInfection
Leukemia
Lung CancerLung CancerLung Cancer
Lymphoma
Neuroendocrine Tumors
Oncology
Pediatric Cancers
Radiation Oncology
Sarcoma
Screening
Skin Cancer & Melanoma
Surgery
Thyroid Cancer
Spotlight -
  • Radiation Oncology
  • Surgery
Adverse Effects
Brain Cancer
Breast CancerBreast CancerBreast Cancer
Gastrointestinal CancerGastrointestinal CancerGastrointestinal CancerGastrointestinal CancerGastrointestinal CancerGastrointestinal Cancer
Genitourinary CancersGenitourinary CancersGenitourinary CancersGenitourinary Cancers
Gynecologic CancersGynecologic CancersGynecologic CancersGynecologic Cancers
Head & Neck Cancer
Hematologic OncologyHematologic OncologyHematologic OncologyHematologic Oncology
InfectionInfection
Leukemia
Lung CancerLung CancerLung Cancer
Lymphoma
Neuroendocrine Tumors
Oncology
Pediatric Cancers
Radiation Oncology
Sarcoma
Screening
Skin Cancer & Melanoma
Surgery
Thyroid Cancer
    • Conferences
    • CME/CE
    • Career Center
    • Subscribe
Advertisement

ACS studies link patients' insurance status to cancer outcomes

August 1, 2007
Publication
Article
Oncology NEWS InternationalOncology NEWS International Vol 16 No 8
Volume 16
Issue 8

Previous studies have shown that uninsured adults or those in public programs are less likely to receive preventive cancer care. Two new studies from American Cancer Society (ACS) researchers have found that people who were uninsured or enrolled in Medicaid were more likely to present with late-stage cancer than those with private medical insurance

ATLANTA—Previous studies have shown that uninsured adults or those in public programs are less likely to receive preventive cancer care. Two new studies from American Cancer Society (ACS) researchers have found that people who were uninsured or enrolled in Medicaid were more likely to present with late-stage cancer than those with private medical insurance (Cancer July 15, 2007). Both retrospective studies analyzed patient data collected from the National Cancer Database.

Michael T. Halpern, MD, PhD, strategic director of Health Services Research at the ACS, and his colleagues looked at the records of 533,715 patients from 1,457 hospitals across the country diagnosed with invasive breast cancer from 1998 to 2003. The proportion of patients with advanced-stage cancer at diagnosis (stage III-IV) ranged from 0% among privately insured patients to 18% among uninsured patients, and 19% among patients with Medicaid (P < .0001).

Women who were uninsured or enrolled in Medicaid at the time of their diagnosis were 2.4 to 2.5 times more likely to have stage III or IV disease, rather than stage I, compared to women with private health coverage. Black and Hispanic patients also were significantly more likely than white patients to be diagnosed at a more advanced stage (P < .001).

"Our results suggest that uninsured and underinsured women are not receiving optimal screening and/or follow-up," Dr. Halpern said.

Oropharyngeal Cancer

Amy Y. Chen, MD, MPH, of Emory University and ACS Health Services Research, and her coinvestigators conducted what may be the first analysis of how insurance status affects oropharyngeal cancer. The study, which included 40,487 patients, showed that, compared to patients with private insurance, patients with no insurance were the most likely to be diagnosed with advanced disease, the largest tumors, or regional lymph node invasion. They also found that Medicaid patients were at demonstrably higher risk for advanced disease.

Other factors associated with more advanced disease at diagnosis included sex (men were at higher risk), age (younger patients were at higher risk), and treatment facility type (patients who were treated at teaching or research facilities were at higher risk). However, all factors considered, type of health insurance remained the strongest predictor of stage at diagnosis and tumor size.

In both studies, health insurance status strongly predicted disease severity at the time of diagnosis. In order to address this diagnostic variable, which leads to poorer outcomes, the authors recommended increasing access to healthcare and targeting screening programs specifically for the uninsured or underinsured.

Having a 'Medical Home'

In an accompanying editorial, Richard C. Wender, MD, president of the ACS and chair of the Department of Family Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University, commented: "Having a usual primary care clinician, a trusted source of care, also known as a medical home, is a strong predictor of improved preventive care delivery." Dr. Wender added that a primary care medical home plays a vital role in reducing cancer mortality. "Individuals who have a regular source of primary care are both more likely to be up to date with cancer screening and more likely to receive timely follow-up and evaluation for abnormal findings on an initial screen," he said.

Articles in this issue

Avoiding copay shock
Induction chemo increases survival in unresectable NSCLC
Superselective chemo strategies for HCC
'Value meal dosing' of lapatinib is proposed
AMA approves CPT code for Axxent electronic brachytherapy
Zevalin/R after CHOP-R doubles CRs in follicular NHL
Active surveillance with delayed treatment appears to be a safe option for younger men with low-risk prostate cancer
RT plus local paclitaxel gel promising in esophageal ca
GeneSearch BLN Assay gets FDA approval for node assessment during surgery
TH vs TCH in metastatic breast cancer: 'Take your pick'
Sunitinib prolongs PFS in RCC: update
Diagnostic Dilemma: GI Disease
ACS studies link patients' insurance status to cancer outcomes
Novel MAGE-A3 immunotherapeutic promising as adjuvant therapy of early-stage non-small-cell lung ca
US consumers are shielded from the cost of healthcare
Recent Videos
2 experts in this video
2 experts in this video
Considering which non–muscle-invasive bladder cancer cases may be cured by surgery alone may help mitigate overtreatment in this patient group.
Event-free survival benefit was observed among BCG-naïve patients with carcinoma in situ undergoing treatment with sasanlimab plus BCG.
Related Content
Advertisement

Results from the phase 3 POD1UM-303/InterAACT-2 trial demonstrated improved PFS and OS in patients with locally recurrent or metastatic SCAC.

Adding Retifanlimab to Chemo Yields Clinical Benefit in Inoperable SCAC

Tim Cortese
June 13th 2025
Article

Results from the phase 3 POD1UM-303/InterAACT-2 trial demonstrated improved PFS and OS in patients with locally recurrent or metastatic SCAC.


An expert panel highlights key presentations in multiple myeloma, lymphoma, and other hematologic malignancies at the 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting.

CAR T and Transplantation Advances Across Hematologic Cancers at ASCO 2025

Rahul Banerjee, MD, FACP;Taha Al-Juhaishi, MD;Muhammad Salman Faisal, MD
June 9th 2025
Podcast

An expert panel highlights key presentations in multiple myeloma, lymphoma, and other hematologic malignancies at the 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting.


Polatuzumab Vedotin Combo Improves OS Vs Rituximab/Chemo in R/R DLBCL

Polatuzumab Vedotin Combo Improves OS Vs Rituximab/Chemo in R/R DLBCL

Ariana Pelosci
June 13th 2025
Article

Patients with R/R DLBCL given polatuzumab vedotin, rituximab, gemcitabine, and oxaliplatin had an OS of 19.5 months.


Sharpening the Prostate Cancer Toolkit: Practical Insights on PSMA Imaging

Sharpening the Prostate Cancer Toolkit: Practical Insights on PSMA Imaging

Manojkumar Bupathi, MD, MS;Benjamin Garmezy, MD;Mike Lattanzi, MD;Damian N. Sorce, MD
June 5th 2025
Podcast

Experts weigh in on the practical applications of PSMA PET imaging


TPS 38 ELCIN: Elacestrant in Women and Men With CDK4/6 Inhibitor-Naive Estrogen Receptor-Positive, HER2-Negative Metastatic Breast Cancer: An Open-Label, Multicenter, Phase 2 Study

TPS 38 ELCIN: Elacestrant in Women and Men With CDK4/6 Inhibitor-Naive Estrogen Receptor-Positive, HER2-Negative Metastatic Breast Cancer: An Open-Label, Multicenter, Phase 2 Study

Virginia Kaklamani, MD, DSc;Giorgi Dzagnidze;Nicoleta Zenovia Antone;Anu Thummala;Mikheil Janjalia;Patricia Santi;Carlos Barrios;Mehmet Ali Nahit Sendur;Xiaoling Zhang;Angela Gambioli;Manuel Dominguez;Kathy Puyana Theall;Tomer Wasserman;William J. Gradishar, MD
June 12th 2025
Article

The VIALE-A trial showed high activity with revumenib plus azacitidine and venetoclax for patients with NPM1m/KMT2Ar AML.

Revumenib Plus Azacitidine/Venetoclax Appears Safe in Older NPM1/KMT2Ar AML

Ariana Pelosci
June 12th 2025
Article

The VIALE-A trial showed high activity with revumenib plus azacitidine and venetoclax for patients with NPM1m/KMT2Ar AML.

Related Content
Advertisement

Results from the phase 3 POD1UM-303/InterAACT-2 trial demonstrated improved PFS and OS in patients with locally recurrent or metastatic SCAC.

Adding Retifanlimab to Chemo Yields Clinical Benefit in Inoperable SCAC

Tim Cortese
June 13th 2025
Article

Results from the phase 3 POD1UM-303/InterAACT-2 trial demonstrated improved PFS and OS in patients with locally recurrent or metastatic SCAC.


An expert panel highlights key presentations in multiple myeloma, lymphoma, and other hematologic malignancies at the 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting.

CAR T and Transplantation Advances Across Hematologic Cancers at ASCO 2025

Rahul Banerjee, MD, FACP;Taha Al-Juhaishi, MD;Muhammad Salman Faisal, MD
June 9th 2025
Podcast

An expert panel highlights key presentations in multiple myeloma, lymphoma, and other hematologic malignancies at the 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting.


Polatuzumab Vedotin Combo Improves OS Vs Rituximab/Chemo in R/R DLBCL

Polatuzumab Vedotin Combo Improves OS Vs Rituximab/Chemo in R/R DLBCL

Ariana Pelosci
June 13th 2025
Article

Patients with R/R DLBCL given polatuzumab vedotin, rituximab, gemcitabine, and oxaliplatin had an OS of 19.5 months.


Sharpening the Prostate Cancer Toolkit: Practical Insights on PSMA Imaging

Sharpening the Prostate Cancer Toolkit: Practical Insights on PSMA Imaging

Manojkumar Bupathi, MD, MS;Benjamin Garmezy, MD;Mike Lattanzi, MD;Damian N. Sorce, MD
June 5th 2025
Podcast

Experts weigh in on the practical applications of PSMA PET imaging


TPS 38 ELCIN: Elacestrant in Women and Men With CDK4/6 Inhibitor-Naive Estrogen Receptor-Positive, HER2-Negative Metastatic Breast Cancer: An Open-Label, Multicenter, Phase 2 Study

TPS 38 ELCIN: Elacestrant in Women and Men With CDK4/6 Inhibitor-Naive Estrogen Receptor-Positive, HER2-Negative Metastatic Breast Cancer: An Open-Label, Multicenter, Phase 2 Study

Virginia Kaklamani, MD, DSc;Giorgi Dzagnidze;Nicoleta Zenovia Antone;Anu Thummala;Mikheil Janjalia;Patricia Santi;Carlos Barrios;Mehmet Ali Nahit Sendur;Xiaoling Zhang;Angela Gambioli;Manuel Dominguez;Kathy Puyana Theall;Tomer Wasserman;William J. Gradishar, MD
June 12th 2025
Article

The VIALE-A trial showed high activity with revumenib plus azacitidine and venetoclax for patients with NPM1m/KMT2Ar AML.

Revumenib Plus Azacitidine/Venetoclax Appears Safe in Older NPM1/KMT2Ar AML

Ariana Pelosci
June 12th 2025
Article

The VIALE-A trial showed high activity with revumenib plus azacitidine and venetoclax for patients with NPM1m/KMT2Ar AML.

Advertisement
About
Advertise
CureToday.com
OncLive.com
OncNursingNews.com
TargetedOnc.com
Editorial
Contact
Terms and Conditions
Privacy
Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Contact Info

2 Commerce Drive
Cranbury, NJ 08512

609-716-7777

© 2025 MJH Life Sciences

All rights reserved.