ASPO Abstracts

Investigating Differences in Cancer Survival Among South Asian Americans: A Prospective Cohort Study from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Program, 2001-2015

Authors: Haider MR; Mucci, LA

Category: Cancer Health Disparities
Conference Year: 2021

Abstract Body:
Purpose of the Study: Research on South Asian Americans with cancer is limited, and much of it is many years old. The current study estimates cancer specific mortality and overall mortality among the South Asian American population for several cancer types, including leading cancers in both the United States and in South Asia itself, and compare these rates to Whites and other Asians to assess whether there are "disparities” in survival for specific cancers and, examine the extent to which any differences in survival can be explained by differences in demographic factors, socioeconomic factors, clinical features, or treatment type. Methods: This prospective cohort study used data from individuals diagnosed with cancer between years 2001 and 2015 from 17 registries in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program (1969-2018), including individuals of South Asian background (n=18,909), other Asian backgrounds (n=220,931) and Whites (n=2,781,262). Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of the association between race and mortality were estimated using multivariable cox regression models, adjusting for age, sex, marital status, year of diagnosis, state, stage, radiation, and chemotherapy. Results: South Asians were found to have lower odds of all-cause and cancer-specific mortality compared to Whites as well as other Asians for many cancers, except Oropharyngeal, where mortality is highest among South Asians. South Asians were found to have significantly lower cancer-specific hazard for stomach, colorectal, pancreatic, lung, breast and cervical cancers. All odds of mortality were lower when adjusted for insurance. Conclusions: South Asians and other Asians do have significant differences in outcomes, where most other than Oropharyngeal cancer show better odds of survival for South Asians. Oropharyngeal cancer is among the leading cancers in South Asia, and the majority of South Asians in the United States are foreign-born so it will be important to follow this group over time to see how trends change as later generations emerge.

Keywords: South Asian"; Immigrant, "SEER", Survival, Race