Tamara Thomas

Urban Health Today

A new study being presented at the 2024 American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting &amp; Exposition found that Hispanic and Black patients with Waldenstr&ouml;m Macroglobulinemia (WM) do not have significantly worse cancer-specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS) than White patients.WM, or lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma, is a cancer affecting white blood cells. Studies show that patients with WM do not always require immediate treatment, and the median survival time varies between four and eight years, depending on the age at diagnosis. However, how race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status (SES) affect WM outcomes is unclear.For this study, Dr. Alvaro Alvarez Soto, of the Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Connecticut, and colleagues assessed the impact of race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status on WM treatment and survival. The study included over 8,500 patients with WM. Of them, 3,384 were women. The participants were predominately White (84.40%),&nbsp;4.4% were Black,&nbsp;16% were Hispanic, and the remaining 4% identified as &ldquo;other&rdquo; racial groups.The median OS for the study population was 115 months. Patients with higher SES had better OS rates. However, only the participants with the highest socioeconomic status showed significantly improved CSS.Dr. Soto and his team also observed that Black and Hispanic patients had higher odds of chemotherapy use than their White counterparts. However, people with higher SES were less likely to receive chemotherapy.&nbsp; The researchers did not observe any significant association between race/ethnicity and OS or CSS in their study.The researchers concluded, &ldquo;We found that Hispanics and Black patients with WM, as well as patients living in the lowest SES, are more likely to be treated with chemotherapy. We also note that these patients had significant associations with worse CSS and OS. It is unclear whether biological differences in the course of the disease or other factors might explain these findings.&rdquo;The researchers call on future studies to integrate socioeconomic status and examine how it interacts with WM outcomes.Reference Soto AA, Song J, Clark J, et al. <a href="https://ash.confex.com/ash/2024/webprogram/Paper210639.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Racial and Socioeconomic Disparities in Patients with Waldenstr&ouml;m Macroglobulinemia: a SEER Database Analysis</a>. Abstract #2406. Presented at the 2024 American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting &amp; Exposition; December 7-10, 2024; San Diego, California.

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