Early-Stage Lung Cancer Treatment Disparities by Race Among Medicare Beneficiaries

Have racial disparities in the receipt of curative treatment for early-stage non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) among Medicare beneficiaries changed compared with patterns documented in the 1990s?In this cohort study using SEER-Medicare data from 2005 to 2019, Black patients had significantly lower adjusted rates of curative therapy than White patients. Lower rates of curative therapy among Black patients were associated with persistently lower receipt of surgery, while overall rates of receipt of radiotherapy were not consistently different by race.This study suggests that disparities between Black and White patients in curative treatment persist for Medicare beneficiaries with early-stage NSCLC, highlighting structural barriers to certain cancer treatments.

Corresponding Author: Olivia F. Lynch, MD, MPH, National Clinician Scholars Program, Yale School of Medicine, 333 Cedar St, New Haven, CT 06510 (olivia.lynch@yale.edu).

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