162627 Bladder Cancer in the Elderly: Racial/Ethnic Distribution of Resource Utilization

Sunday, November 4, 2007

Catherine D. Cooksley, DrPH , Section of Health Services Research Department of Biostatistics, University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Linda S. Elting, DrPH , Section of Health Services Research, Division of Quantitative Sciences, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Elenir, B. C. Avritscher, MD, MBA/MHA , Section of Health Services Research, Division of Quantitative Sciences, University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
  
Bladder Cancer in the Elderly: Racial/Ethnic Distribution of Resource Utilization

Background: Due to potential for frequent recurrences, Bladder Cancer (BC) is among the most resource intensive and costly of cancers. We sought to answer the question of whether resource use in bladder cancer patients varies by race/ethnicity.

Methods: We used the SEER linked Medicare database to track resource utilization for BC patients aged 65 and older, stratified by race/ethnicity. We compared demographic, overall health, stage of disease and monthly use of inpatient and outpatient resources through Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) or chi square analysis.

Results: Non-white populations made up less than 10% of the study population. We observed no statistically significant difference in age at diagnosis (P=0.234) or comorbidity (P=0.337), but did observe a statistically significant difference in stage of disease (P=<0.001), inpatient days and outpatient and physician visits.

Conclusion: Despite little difference in age at diagnosis or co-existing medical conditions, we observed differences in consumption of medical resources by race/ethnicity in patients with bladder cancer. A better understanding of these resource utilization differences is necessary to ensure availability of adequate resources and identify specific areas of need.

Learning Objectives:
1.Describe characteristics of bladder cancer and why the disease leads to intensive use of resources. 2.Recognize how SEER cancer data linked to Medicare claims data may be used to study resource utilization in bladder cancer patients. 3.Identify differences in resource utilization among bladder cancer patients of different racial/ethnic groups.

Keywords: Cancer, Health Needs

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No
Any institutionally-contracted trials related to this submission?

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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See more of: Epidemiology