Exploring clinical pathways to a metastatic lung cancer diagnosis: A latent class analysis using North Carolina multi-payer claims data

Key Points

• The research aims to identify clinical pathways associated with a metastatic lung cancer diagnosis and explore their implications for diagnostic equity.
• Utilized latent class analysis on multi-payer claims data from North Carolina.
• Examined utilization patterns of low-contact and emergency-based care users.
• Investigated the relationship between care patterns and biomarker testing outcomes.
• Identified distinct latent classes based on care utilization patterns.
• Highlighted disparities in diagnostic pathways for different care users.
• Suggested tailored interventions may enhance equitable access to biomarker testing.