Asian patients with melanoma have increased odds of treatment delays
Description
The hypothesis was that Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) patients with melanoma experience treatment delays compared with non-Hispanic White (NHW) patients. AAPI melanoma patients have decreased survival, and longer time from diagnosis to definitive surgery (TTDS) may contribute. Table I. Enumeration of ethnicities included in the AAPI group in this study. Table II. Mean TTDS by stage of melanoma. AAPI patients with stage I, II, and III melnoma had longer TTDS. Table III. TTDS differences by insurance type. TTDS differences persisted for Medicare and private insurance groups. Table IV. Multivariable logistics regression for TTDS. AAPI patients had twice the odds of a TTDS greater than 90 days compared to NHW patients, after controlling for stage and sociodemographic factors (sex, age, income, and insurance status).