Jennifer L. Lund

The Role of Rurality, Travel Time, and Neighborhood Socioeconomics on Patterns of Adjuvant Therapy Receipt among Patients with Endometrial Cancer

Abstract Background: Rural patients with endometrial cancer are more likely to receive lower-quality treatment compared with their urban peers. We evaluated the role of contextual factors [rurality, distance to care, and community socioeconomics (SES)] on the receipt of adjuvant therapy (AT): vaginal brachytherapy (VBT), external beam radiation, and chemotherapy. Methods: We analyzed Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results–Medicare and included stages IB grade 3 and stages II to IV. We used county-level rural–urban continuum codes to define rurality, the Yost index to measure community SES, and measure of average driving time to gynecologic oncology care. Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate adjusted ORs (aOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) evaluating AT receipt, adjusting for patient-level clinical and demographic characteristics. Results: A total of 7,572 individuals met inclusion criteria; 15% were rural residing. Rurality was only associated with lower odds of any AT receipt among patients with stage IB endometrial cancer (aOR = 0.62; 95% CI, 0.46–0.83). Increasing travel time was associated with lower odds of VBT (aOR = 0.89; 95% CI, 0.84–0.95). Residence in a low-SES neighborhood was associated with lower odds of chemotherapy (aOR = 0.79; 95% CI, 0.67–0.92) and VBT (aOR = 0.81; 95% CI, 0.69–0.95); however, associations were no longer significant after adjusting for individual SES. Conclusions: Travel time to gynecologic oncology care negatively affects the receipt of treatment regardless of rural or urban residence. Travel time may be a proxy for access to brachytherapy services and may explain the associations between travel and receipt of VBT. Impact: Factors characterizing the place of residence beyond rural/urban residence are important for predicting inequitable access to AT.

Adverse Urinary System Diagnoses among Older Women with Endometrial Cancer

Abstract Background: Endometrial cancer and its treatment may impact urinary system function, but few large-scale studies have examined urinary diagnoses among endometrial cancer survivors. We investigated the risk of several urinary outcomes among older women with endometrial cancer compared with similar women without a cancer history. Methods: Women aged 66+ years with an endometrial cancer diagnosis during 2004–2017 (N = 44,386) and women without a cancer history (N = 221,219) matched 1:5 on exact age, race/ethnicity, and state were identified in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare linked data. ICD-9 and -10 diagnosis codes were used to define urinary outcomes in the Medicare claims. HRs for urinary outcomes were estimated using multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models. Results: Relative to women without cancer, endometrial cancer survivors were at an increased risk of several urinary system diagnoses, including lower urinary tract infection [HR, 2.36; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.32–2.40], urinary calculus (HR, 2.22; 95% CI, 2.13–2.31), renal failure (HR, 2.28; 95% CI, 2.23–2.33), and chronic kidney disease (HR, 1.85; 95% CI, 1.81–1.90). Similar associations were observed in sensitivity analyses limited to 1+ and 5+ years after endometrial cancer diagnosis. Black race, higher comorbidity index, higher stage or grade cancer, non-endometrioid histology, and treatment with chemotherapy and/or radiation were often significant predictors of urinary outcomes among endometrial cancer survivors. Conclusions: Our results suggest that, among older women, the risk of urinary outcomes is elevated after endometrial cancer. Impact: Monitoring for urinary diseases may be a critical part of long-term survivorship care for older women with an endometrial cancer history.