Carcinoid syndrome (CS) is a unique constellation of symptoms caused by release of vasoactive substances from neuroendocrine tumors (Pandit et al., StatPearls, 2022). Neuroendocrine tumors are rare with an annual incidence of 2 in 100,000 people (Ram et al., 46:21-27, 2019). Up to 50% of patients with these tumors will develop carcinoid syndrome, which is characterized by symptoms caused by elevated levels of serotonin and most commonly include fatigue, flushing, wheezing, and non-specific gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea and malabsorption (Pandit et al., StatPearls, 2022) (Fox et.al., 90:1224-1228, 2004). Over time, patients with carcinoid syndrome can develop carcinoid heart disease (CHD). CHD refers to the cardiac complications that occur when the vasoactive substances, such as serotonin, tachykinins, and prostaglandins, secreted from the carcinoid tumors. These complications most commonly include valvular abnormalities, but can also present as coronary artery damage, arrhythmias or direct myocardial injury (Ram et al., 46:21-27, 2019). While CHD is not typically an initial feature of carcinoid syndrome, it does eventually occur in up to 70% of patients with carcinoid tumors (Ram et al., 46:21-27, 2019) (Jin et.al., 146:65-73, 2021) (Macfie et.al., 224:665-669, 2022). CHD is associated with significant morbidity and mortality due to the risk of progressive heart failure (Bober et.al., 14:1179546820968101, 2020). In this case, we describe a 35-year-old Hispanic woman in South Texas with undiagnosed carcinoid syndrome for over 10 years that eventually progressed to severe CHD. In this patient’s case, we emphasize how lack of access to healthcare resulted in delay of diagnosis, appropriate treatment, and worsened prognosis in this young patient.
4109 Background: The incidence and mortality of HCC are increasing in the USA. HCC disparities have been reported across the entirety of the cancer timeline, from screening to local and systemic treatment and liver transplant. We aim to analyze the clinical characteristics, outcomes, and racial disparities in patients with advanced HCC receiving first-line Atezolizumab plus Bevacizumab (A+B) in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) – the only health care system in the USA that provides equal access to all patients. Methods: Patients were followed from their A+B initiation date through the earliest of the last VHA visit, loss to follow-up, death, or end of study on Jan 31, 2023. Structured electronic health record and chart review data were retrospectively collected to determine patient baseline characteristics, including self-reported race, number of A+B doses, treatment response, subsequent line of treatment, length of follow-up, and overall survival (OS). The Chi-Squared test was used to compare rates, and Mann-Whitney test was used to compare medians. Results: Three hundred twenty-five patients were included. 64% were non-Hispanic White (NHW), and 36% were all other (AO) ethnicities or races combined (26% Black, 8% Hispanic, 2% Asian or Indigenous). The median age for each cohort was similar (66 years for AO vs. 68 for NHW), and ECOG performance was <1 in nearly 90% of each cohort. Viral hepatitis accounted for 70% and 48% of AO and NHW, respectively (p=0.0001). Despite clinical differences in OS and progression free survival (PFS), they were not statistically significant. Conclusions: Our VHA real-world data shows that despite having statistically significant etiologies, there was no statistically significant difference in the PFS and OS of patients with advanced HCC receiving first-line A+B in an equal access care system. This study supports our group’s findings in other malignant cohorts within VHA where equal healthcare access can mitigate other socio-demographic and biological factors. [Table: see text]
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