Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39233389›Full record

ArticleCancer2025

Sociodemographic and geographic factors impacting radiotherapy recommendation, initiation, and completion for patients with cancer.

Jacob S Hogan, E John Orav, Neha Vapiwala, Miranda B Lam

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Cancer, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Jacob S HoganHarvard Radiation Oncology Program, Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital/Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
E John OravDepartment of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Neha VapiwalaDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Miranda B LamDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Brigham and Women's Hospital/Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Funding

Assessing Variation in Outcomes for Cancer Patients Receiving Radiation Treatments and Identifying High-Value Radiation Oncology PracticesK08CA273549 · NCI · BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL · PI Miranda Lam · 2023 to 2026
$1.1M
NCI NIH HHS K08 CA273549NCI NIH HHS K08CA273549
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMore than half of patients with cancer receive radiotherapy, which often requires daily treatments for several weeks. The impact of geographic and sociodemographic factors on the odds of patients with cancer being recommended radiotherapy, starting radiotherapy, and completing radiotherapy is not well understood.

methodsThis was a retrospective patient cohort study that included patients diagnosed with one of the 10 most common solid cancers from January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2021, in the National Cancer Database. The primary predictor was radial distance from a patient's home to their cancer treatment hospital. Other covariates included baseline patient characteristics (age, sex, comorbidities, metastatic disease, cancer site), sociodemographic characteristics (race, ethnicity, median income quartile, insurance status), geographic region, and facility type. The three primary outcomes were being recommended radiotherapy, starting recommended radiotherapy, and completing radiotherapy.

resultsOf the 3,068,919 patients included, patients living >50 miles away had lower odds of being recommended radiotherapy than those living <10 miles away. Compared to White patients, Asian and Hispanic patients had lower odds of being recommended radiotherapy, and Black patients had lower odds of starting recommended radiotherapy. Uninsured patients, those with Medicaid or Medicare, and patients in lower median income quartiles had lower odds of starting or completing radiotherapy.

conclusionsGeographic and sociodemographic factors impact access to radiotherapy at different levels in cancer care and understanding these factors could aid policymakers and practices in identifying and supporting at-risk patients.

Indexed as

NeoplasmsAdultAgedFemaleHealth Services AccessibilityHumansMaleMedicareMiddle AgedRetrospective StudiesSociodemographic FactorsSocioeconomic FactorsUnited Statesaccess to caredistancehealthcare disparitiesradiotherapysociodemographictravel

Identifiers

PMID39233389
PMCPMC11695155

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.