The harmonized set of POI surveillance recommendations is intended to be scientifically rigorous, to positively influence health outcomes, and to facilitate the care for female survivors of CAYA cancer.
BACKGROUND
Adolescents and young adults with cancer have inferior survival outcomes compared with younger pediatric patients and older adult patients. Lack of insurance may partly explain this disparity. The objective of this study was to identify associations between insurance status and both advanced-stage cancer and cancer-specific mortality.
METHODS
Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) 18 registries, 57,981 patients ages 15 to 39 years were identified who were diagnosed between 2007 and 2010 and had complete insurance and staging information. Multinomial logistic regression models were used to identify associations between insurance type and disease stage, with the models adjusted for sex, age, and race. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate cancer-specific mortality.
RESULTS
Overall, 84% of patients were aged ≥25 years, 64% were women, and 79% were privately insured. Compared with patients who had private insurance, those who had nonprivate insurance tended to present with more advanced-stage disease and to die more quickly and more commonly from their cancer. Patients ages 25 to 39 years who had Medicaid coverage or no insurance had 3.2 times and 2.4 times higher odds of having stage IV disease, respectively, than privately insured patients (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.0–3.5 times higher odds and 2.1–2.6 times higher odds, respectively). Among those with stage I/II and III/IV cancers, the risk of death was 2.9 times greater (95% CI, 2.2–3.9 times greater) and 1.7 times greater (95% CI, 1.5–1.9 times greater), respectively, than the risk for privately insured patients. Patients who died from stage III/IV cancers survived at least 2 months longer if they had private insurance.
CONCLUSIONS
Among young adults, insurance status is independently associated with advanced-stage cancer and the risk of death from cancer, even for patients who have low-stage disease. Broader insurance coverage and access to health care may improve some of the disparate outcomes of adolescents and young adults with cancer.
Most adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with cancer will survive their disease, and fertility issues are a major concern for this population. The ASCO and new NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology for Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology recommend that oncologists offer the option of fertility preservation to all postpubertal AYAs before the start of potentially gonadotoxic chemotherapy or radiotherapy, providing that the patient does not require emergent start of therapy. Despite the published practice guidelines, many AYAs diagnosed with cancer are still not offered fertility preservation, with oncologists citing lack of time, lack of knowledge, and discomfort in discussing fertility and sexuality with AYAs as reasons. Developing a systematic and coordinated multidisciplinary strategy for fertility preservation referrals within a practice site may streamline the referral process, off-loading some tasks from the oncologist and potentially increasing patient satisfaction, provider satisfaction, and compliance with the guidelines.
Most pediatric oncology providers are willing to consider MM use in children with cancer and receive frequent inquiries. However, ETC providers endorse less favorable attitudes overall. The absence of standards is an important barrier to recommending MM.
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