Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32149345›Full record

ArticleNeuro-oncology2020

Racial disparities in supportive medication use among older patients with brain metastases: a population-based analysis.

Nayan Lamba, Elie Mehanna, Rachel B Kearney, Paul J Catalano, Daphne A Haas-Kogan, Brian M Alexander, Daniel N Cagney, Kathleen A Lee, Ayal A Aizer

Open access · bronzeAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Neuro-oncology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 32 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
32citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
3.8field-weighted citation impact, top 5% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

32 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 44 citations in OpenAlex.

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  12. Inherent Bias in Electronic Health Records: A Scoping Review of Sources of Bias.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2024
    Article
  13. Article
  14. Review
  15. Disparities in Neuro-Oncology.Current neurology and neuroscience reports · 2023
    Review
  16. Unraveling Racial Disparities in Supportive Care Medication Use among End-of-Life Pancreatic Cancer Patients: Focus on Pain Management and Psychiatric Therapies.Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology · 2023
    Observational
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Nayan LambaDana-Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
Elie MehannaDana-Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
Rachel B KearneyDana-Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
Paul J CatalanoDepartment of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts.
Daphne A Haas-KoganDana-Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
Brian M AlexanderDana-Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
Daniel N CagneyDana-Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
Kathleen A LeeDivision of Adult Palliative Care, Department of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Division of Palliative Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
Ayal A AizerDana-Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
Brigham and Women's Hospital · USDana-Farber Cancer Institute · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundBrain metastases (BM) cause symptoms that supportive medications can alleviate. We assessed whether racial disparities exist in supportive medication utilization after BM diagnosis.

methodsMedicare-enrolled patients linked with the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program (SEER) who had diagnoses of BM between 2007 and 2016 were identified. Fourteen supportive medication classes were studied: non-opioid analgesics, opioids, anti-emetics, anti-epileptics, headache-targeting medications, steroids, cognitive aids, antidepressants, anxiolytics, antidelirium/antipsychotic agents, muscle relaxants, psychostimulants, sleep aids, and appetite stimulants. Drug administration ≤30 days following BM diagnosis was compared by race using multivariable logistic regression.

resultsAmong 17,957 patients, headache aids, antidepressants, and anxiolytics were prescribed less frequently to African Americans (odds ratio [95% CI] = 0.81 [0.73-0.90], P < 0.001; OR = 0.68 [0.57-0.80], P < 0.001; and OR = 0.68 [0.56-0.82], P < 0.001, respectively), Hispanics (OR = 0.83 [0.73-0.94], P = 0.004 OR = 0.78 [0.64-0.97], P = 0.02; and OR = 0.63 [0.49-0.81], P < 0.001, respectively), and Asians (OR = 0.81 [0.72-0.92], P = 0.001, OR = 0.67 [0.53-0.85], P = 0.001, and OR = 0.62 [0.48-0.80], P < 0.001, respectively) compared with non-Hispanic Whites. African Americans also received fewer anti-emetics (OR = 0.75 [0.68-0.83], P < 0.001), steroids (OR = 0.84 [0.76-0.93], P < 0.001), psychostimulants (OR = 0.14 [0.03-0.59], P = 0.007), sleep aids (OR = 0.71 [0.61-0.83], P < 0.001), and appetite stimulants (OR = 0.85 [0.77-0.94], P = 0.002) than Whites. Hispanic patients less frequently received antidelirium/antipsychotic drugs (OR = 0.57 [0.38-0.86], P = 0.008), sleep aids (OR = 0.78 [0.64-0.94, P = 0.01), and appetite stimulants (OR = 0.87 [0.76-0.99], P = 0.04). Asian patients received fewer opioids (OR = 0.86 [0.75-0.99], P = 0.04), anti-emetics (OR = 0.83 [0.73-0.94], P = 0.004), anti-epileptics (OR = 0.83 [0.71-0.97], P = 0.02), steroids (OR = 0.81 [0.72-0.92], P = 0.001), muscle relaxants (OR = 0.60 [0.41-0.89], P = 0.01), and appetite stimulants (OR = 0.87 [0.76-0.99], P = 0.03). No medication class was prescribed significantly less frequently to Whites.

conclusionsDisparities in supportive medication prescription for non-White/Hispanic groups with BM exist; improved provider communication and engagement with at-risk patients is needed. KEY POINTS: 1. Patients with BM commonly experience neurologic symptoms.2. Supportive medications improve quality of life among patients with BM.3. Non-White patients with BM receive fewer supportive medications than White patients.

Indexed as

Brain NeoplasmsQuality of LifeAgedHealthcare DisparitiesHumansMedicareUnited StatesWhite Peoplebrain metastasesdisparitiesmedicationspainpalliative careracesupportive care

Identifiers

PMID32149345
PMCPMC7523439
OpenAlexW3010780058

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.