Abstract 6478: Intracranial neoplasms: Disparities in access to care

Abstract Purpose: Excision of intracranial neoplasms is a life-saving procedure. However, there is not much research that has demonstrated how demographic variables interact with a patient’s access to healthcare for intracranial neoplasms. Methods: The Nationwide Inpatient Sample was queried from 2018 to 2020 to identify patients with an intracranial neoplasm. Multivariable logistic regression with patient- and hospital-level characteristics as covariates was used to identify factors associated with receiving an intracranial tumor excision. Results: From 2018 to 2020, there were 97, 795 hospital encounters with a primary diagnosis of an intracranial neoplasm. Of these patients, 64. 6% underwent a tumor excision procedure during their hospital visit. The average age of all patients with intracranial neoplasm was 58. 90. 2 years. Most intracranial neoplasm patients were male (59. 0%), White (73. 8%), Medicare beneficiaries (45. 1%), and of the highest income quartile (26. 4%). These patients commonly presented to hospitals in the West (35. 0%), with a medium number of beds (36. 4%), and to rural hospitals (39. 1%). The most common locations of these neoplasms were the frontal (18. 9%), temporal (12. 0%), and parietal (7. 5%) lobes. Neoplasms in more than one location in the brain occurred in 5. 8% of patients. Multivariable logistic regression identified the following factors as significantly associated with a decreased odds ratio (OR) of receiving an excision surgery: identifying as Black (OR=0. 63; p0. 001), Hispanic (OR=0. 82; p=0. 001), or Asian or Pacific Islander (OR=0. 78; p=0. 009) and being a Medicaid Beneficiary (OR=0. 84; p=0. 008). Presenting to a hospital in the South (OR=1. 30; p0. 001) or in the West (OR=1. 38; p0. 001) were associated with higher chances of having a surgical excision. Conclusion: There are very substantial differences in access to care for brain cancer patients. Race and insurance status are related to a patient’s chance of receiving tumor excision therapy. Citation Format: Jayla Hsiung, Kamil Taneja, Lauren Ladehoff, Karan Patel, Eric Toloza. Intracranial neoplasms: Disparities in access to care abstract. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts) ; 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84 (6Suppl): Abstract nr 6478.