Social vulnerabilities in head-neck melanoma care: A retrospective cohort study in the United States.

BACKGROUND

Studies addressing social determinants of health (SDH) in head-neck melanomas (HNM) have only assessed socioeconomic factor impact but not a wider scope of SDH.

OBJECTIVE

Utilizing the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI), to assess the influence of specific SDH and their quantifiable associations with HNM management disparities across the varied community contexts in the United States.

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study analyzed adults diagnosed with HNM from 1975 to 2017 from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program database.

RESULTS

A total of 374,138 HNM in adults from 1975 to 2017 were assessed for disparities affiliated with increasing overall vulnerability/SVI scores and SDH themes. For several melanoma subtypes, higher social vulnerability significantly decreased odds (lowest for amelanotic, odds ratio 0.74; 95% confidence interval, 0.63-0.86) for indicated surgery, increased odds of indicated radiation (highest for epithelioid cell, 1.44; 1.08-1.96), and advanced staging on first presentation (highest for acral lentiginous, 1.13; 1.01-1.27). Household composition, followed by socioeconomic status and minority-language status contributed significantly to the overall trend.

LIMITATIONS

Limitations include unknown cause of death and SVI score calculation based on county of residency.

CONCLUSIONS

This investigation highlights significant detrimental trends in HNM management with overall social vulnerability while showcasing the quantifiable associations of specific SDH themes on HNM-disparities.