Persistent disparities in breast cancer surgical outcomes among hispanic and African American patients.

BACKGROUND

Racial disparities among patients who receive breast mastectomy and reconstruction have not been well characterized.

METHODS

Records of patients undergoing breast extirpative and reconstructive surgery at a high-volume university-affiliated hospital over 5 consecutive years were reviewed. Patient demographics, breast cancer profiles, reconstructive modality, and outcomes were compared by race.

RESULTS

A total of 1045 patients underwent 1678 breast reconstructions during the five-year period. Mean age and standard deviation was 49.8 ± 10.6 years with a BMI of 27.9 ± 6.5. Hispanic and African American patients had significantly higher BMIs (p < 0.001), higher rates of ASA class III or IV (p = 0.025), obesity, diabetes, hypertension (p < 0.001 for these three comparisons), and smoking (p = 0.003), and had more prior abdominal surgeries (p = 0.007). Comparing oncologic characteristics, this population subset had higher rates of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (p = 0.036), history of radiation (p = 0.016), and were more likely to undergo modified radical mastectomy (p = 0.002) over nipple-sparing mastectomy (p = 0.035). Reconstructive complications revealed a higher overall complication rate (p = 0.023), higher rates of partial mastectomy flap necrosis (p = 0.043), as well as arterial (p = 0.009) and venous insufficiency (p = 0.026) during microvascular reconstruction among Hispanic and African American patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Compared to other patients, the present study identifies higher comorbidity burdens, higher rates of prior radiation and neoadjuvant chemotherapy, and higher post-surgical complication rates among Hispanic and African American patients with breast cancer.