Racial, Ethnic, and Socioeconomic Characteristics Independently Predict for Cachexia Risk and Associated Survival Outcomes in Stage IV NSCLC: A Brief Report.

Introduction: Cancer cachexia, found in more than a third of patients with NSCLC, directly leads to functional and survival detriments. As screening and interventions for cachexia and NSCLC improve, deficits in health care access and quality among patients disadvantaged by racial-ethnic and socioeconomic factors must be addressed. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 957 patients diagnosed with having stage IV NSCLC between 2014 and 2020 in Dallas, Texas. Cachexia was retrospectively assessed by applying criteria for substantial unintentional weight loss in the time leading up to cancer diagnosis. Nonparametric, parametric, multivariate logistic regression, and Kaplan-Meier analyses were conducted to evaluate for variables potentially associated with cachexia incidence and survival. Results: In multivariate analysis including age, sex, comorbidities, body mass index, risk behaviors, and tumor characteristics, Black race and Hispanic ethnicity were independently associated with more than a 70% increased risk of presenting with cachexia at the time of NSCLC diagnosis ( Conclusions: Fundamentally, our findings reveal elevated cachexia risk in Black and Hispanic patients with stage IV NSCLC with associated survival detriments. These differences are not fully accounted for by traditional determinants of health and suggest novel avenues for addressing oncologic health inequities.