Sajid A. Khan MD, FACS, FSSO, associate professor of surgery (oncology), Yale School of Medicine, section chief, Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary and Mixed Tumors, co-director, Team Science, Yale Center for Clinical Investigation, Yale Cancer Center, discusses the rationale of examining disparate outcomes in gastrointestinal (GI) tract cancer surgery.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought forth preexisting racial and ethnic disparities that exist in the treatment of patients, Khan says. Moreover, GI cancer accounts for approximately 35% of cancer-related deaths, with African Americans having a higher GI cancer burden compared with White patients and a higher risk of death due to GI cancer, Khan explains. Because of this, a retrospective cohort study was conducted to examine whether there are disparate outcomes in GI tract cancer surgery based on race and ethnicity, Khan adds.

Although there have been smaller studies focusing on GI surgical oncology, there have not been any studies that have looked comprehensively at all GI cancer surgery outcomes and their relation to treatment disparities, Khan concludes.

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Sajid A. Khan MD, FACS, FSSO, discusses the rationale of examining disparate outcomes in gastrointestinal tract cancer surgery.


Dr. Khan on the Rationale of Examining Disparate Outcomes in GI Tract Cancer Surgery

Sajid A Khan MD, FACS, FSSO, associate professor of Surgery (Oncology), Yale School of Medicine, section chief, Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary and Mixed Tumors, co-director, Team Science, Yale Center for Clinical Investigation, Yale Cancer Center, discusses next steps in examining racial disparities in gastrointestinal (GI) tract cancer.

A retrospective cohort examination of patients was conducted to study racial disparities in quality of care of patients with GI tract cancers, leading to additional questions as to why treatment outcomes vary, Kahn says. Investigators will next explore factors behind treatment disparities by examining granular data at the hospital level, Khan adds. Based on the findings of the cohort examination, it is important to investigate if biases from the clinicians play a role in outcomes, Khan explains.

Investigators will also examine if surgical and pathological care for patients differs between hospitals, which could account for some of the treatment disparities, Kahn concludes.

Sajid A Khan MD, FACS, FSSO, discusses next steps in examining racial disparities in gastrointestinal tract cancer.


Dr. Kahn on Next Steps on Examining Racial Disparities in GI Cancer

Sajid A Khan MD, FACS, FSSO, associate professor of Surgery (Oncology), Yale School of Medicine, section chief, Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary and Mixed Tumors, co-director, Team Science, Yale Center for Clinical Investigation, Yale Cancer Center, discusses racial disparities with patient surgical outcomes in gastrointestinal (GI) tract cancer.

A retrospective cohort study of patients was conducted to examine racial disparities in quality of care of patients with GI tract cancers.

The study found Black patients had a lower rate of negative surgical margins compared with White patients, and negative surgical margins correspond with better survival outcomes with this cancer, Kahn says. Though Black patients found to be less likely to have negative surgical margins compared with White patients across all GI tract cancers, the most pronounced disparities were found in esophageal cancer, rectal cancer, and bile duct cancer, Kahn explains.

Many GI cancers are epithelial-based and require the removal of an adequate number of lymph nodes, Kahn continues. Despite this, it was also found that Black patients were less likely than White patients to have an adequate numbers of lymph nodes removed during surgery for GI cancers, Kahn explains. These disparate outcomes were most pronounced for pancreatic cancer, esophageal cancer, colon cancer, and small intestinal cancers, Kahn concludes.

Sajid A Khan MD, FACS, FSSO, discusses racial disparities with patient surgical outcomes in gastrointestinal tract cancer.

Sajid A Khan MD, FACS, FSSO

Articles

Dr. Khan on the Rationale of Examining Disparate Outcomes in GI Tract Cancer Surgery

Dr. Kahn on Next Steps on Examining Racial Disparities in GI Cancer

Dr. Khan on Racial Disparities with Patient Surgical Outcomes in GI Tract Cancer