Abstract C002: Investigating racial and ethnic healthcare disparities in screenable gynecologic cancers

Abstract In this systematic scoping literature review, we analyzed peer-reviewed literature to develop a comprehensive understanding of the racial and ethnic healthcare inequity regarding the management and treatment of gynecologic cancers. This approach allows for novel summative data to inform future research and equitable treatment of gynecologic. For the analytical review, PubMed was primarily used to retrieve research articles exploring the impact of race and ethnicity on gynecologic cancer outcomes and screenings, focusing on cervical, ovarian, endometrial, fallopian tube, and vulvar cancers from 2015 to 2023. Non-original studies and studies published prior to 2015 were excluded from being reviewed. To ensure the reliability and relevance of the subsequent analysis, findings were uniformly summarized using a synthesis matrix, highlighting common themes across articles. Based on the articles investigated, there is strong evidence pointing to increased incidence of gynecologic cancers diagnosed at later, more aggressive stages in African American and Hispanic women than in Non-Hispanic White women. Additionally, disparities were found in screenings and treatment management. Women-of-color were less likely to be offered education from their healthcare providers on gynecologic cancers, and less likely to be offered preventative screening or vaccines. The disparities in treatment management were most pronounced in African American women, who were less often offered access to lifesaving treatments, such as brachytherapy. However, utilizing outreach programs and enhancing both provider competency and patient education initiatives has lead to an increase in the likelihood of African American and Hispanic women in vaccine compliance and adherence to regular check-ups. Our ongoing review continues to unveil racial and ethnic healthcare inequities and their impact on preventative care, patient-physician relationships, and patient education. The preliminary findings suggest that racial/ethnic disparities contribute to reduced adherence to recommended obstetric screenings and established effective treatment regimens. Additionally, the data shows that increased utilization of outreach programs and patient education helps mitigate these disparities. Citation Format: Daniela P. Blanco. Investigating racial and ethnic healthcare disparities in screenable gynecologic cancers abstract. In: Proceedings of the 17th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2024 Sep 21-24; Los Angeles, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2024;33(9 Suppl):Abstract nr C002.