Are new cancer treatments benefiting everyone equally? A new study published in JCO Advances, led by CHOICE alumni Dr. Sara Khor (’24) and CHOICE faculty Dr. Josh Carlson, Dr. Aasthaa Bansal, and Dr. Anirban Basu, along with Dr. Veena Shankaran from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, reveals that while new therapies for advanced lung cancer and melanoma have significantly improved survival rates, they have also widened survival disparities based on area-level income levels. This raises important concerns about how these innovations may exacerbate existing disparity gaps in health outcomes.
The research analyzed data from over 357,000 adults diagnosed with advanced cancers between 2007 and 2016. It found that new treatments led to a 3.7 percentage point increase in two-year survival for lung cancer patients and a remarkable 16.8 percentage point increase for melanoma patients. However, the survival improvements were not equal; patients in low-income counties experienced less benefit compared to those in high-income areas. Specifically, the approval of targeted therapies and immunotherapies was associated with increased survival disparities of 2.4 percentage points for lung cancer and 6.1 percentage points for melanoma.
The researchers call for a reevaluation of drug pricing, coverage policies, and dissemination strategies to ensure that all patients, regardless of socioeconomic status, can access the latest treatments. They stress the importance of integrating equity considerations into healthcare policies and addressing the broader structural factors contributing to these inequalities.
“As the healthcare community continues to innovate, it is crucial to ensure that advancements in cancer treatment do not leave behind the most vulnerable populations.” says Khor.
Read the full study here: https://ascopubs.org/doi/10.1200/OA-25-00026.