Survival disparities among racial/ethnic groups of women with ovarian cancer: An update on data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) registry

Objective: Update information on racial disparities in ovarian cancer survival from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program.

Methods: Data on women with epithelial ovarian cancer from the SEER Program between 1995-2015 were collected including; patient ID, age at diagnosis, year of diagnosis, surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, insurance status, region of registry, tumor grade, tumor histology, tumor summary stage, survival months, race/ethnicity, and vital status. Multivariable analyses were performed to examine overall survival, differences in survival by age at diagnosis, by year of diagnosis, risk of not receiving surgery, and risk of 12-month death across racial/ethnic groups.

Results: Non-Hispanic black women (n = 4261) had an increased risk of overall mortality (HR = 1.28, CI: 1.23-1.33) when compared to non-Hispanic white women (n = 47,475), which appears more pronounced among women diagnosed under age 50. Hispanic women (n = 7052) had no difference in survival when compared to non-Hispanic white women (HR = 1.03, CI: 0.99-1.07). Non-Hispanic Asian/PI women (n = 5008) exhibited slightly reduced risk (HR = 0.95, CI: 0.91-0.99) when compared to non-Hispanic white women. Risk of not receiving surgical intervention remains high among non-Hispanic black women and Hispanic women, when compared to non-Hispanic white women. Non-Hispanic black women, non-Hispanic Asian/PI women, and Hispanic women were all at significantly greater risk of dying within the first 12 months of cancer diagnosis when compared to non-Hispanic white women.

Conclusion: Disparities in survival remain across various racial/ethnic groups, when compared to non-Hispanic white women with ovarian cancer. These disparities should continue to be examined in an effort to decrease such gaps.