Disparities in the Occurrence of Late Effects following Treatment among Adolescent and Young Adult Melanoma Survivors.

backgroundMelanoma is the third most common cancer in the adolescent and young adult (AYA) population; however, no studies have addressed the occurrence of adverse health conditions following melanoma treatment in these survivors.

methodsData for patients ages 15 to 39 years diagnosed with cutaneous melanoma from 1996 to 2012 and surviving ≥2 years were obtained from the California Cancer Registry and linked to statewide hospitalization data. The influence of age at diagnosis, sex, race/ethnicity, neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES), health insurance, and surgery on the development of adverse health conditions was evaluated using Cox proportional hazards regression models.

resultsOf 8,259 patients, 35.3% were male, 83.3% were non-Hispanic White, 82.4% had private health insurance, and 60.5% were considered high SES. In Cox regression models, males had an increased risk of developing adverse health conditions across all systems, including cardiac [HR, 1.73, 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.47-2.03], lymphedema (HR, 1.56; 95% CI, 1.37-1.77), hematologic disorders (HR, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.03-1.33), major infection/sepsis (HR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.39-1.82), and second cancers (HR, 1.51; 95% CI, 1.31-1.74). Patients with public/no insurance (vs. private) had a greater risk of developing all studied adverse health conditions, including subsequent cancers (HR, 2.34; 95% CI, 1.94-2.82). AYA patients residing in low SES neighborhoods had similar increased risk of developing adverse health conditions.

conclusionsOf AYA melanoma survivors, males, those with public/no health insurance, and those living in low SES neighborhoods had a greater likelihood of developing adverse health conditions. IMPACT: Strategies to improve surveillance and secondary prevention of these adverse health conditions are needed among AYA melanoma survivors, specifically for the at-risk populations identified.