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Increased Mortality Among Hispanic Testis Cancer Patients Independent of Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status: A SEER Study

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Abstract

Testis cancer-specific survival (CSS) varies by Hispanic ethnicity. Our goal was to assess whether neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) accounts for elevated testis CSS among Hispanic patients. We queried the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database for Hispanic (HW) and Non-Hispanic white (NHW) patients. Multivariate Cox regression analyses evaluated Hispanic ethnicity’s impact on tCSS while adjusting for neighborhood socioeconomic status (education and income levels). HWs constituted 14.3% of the 26,258 patients in the cohort. Neighborhood SES factors such as county income (P < 0.001) and education level (P < 0.001) were significant predictors of testis cancer-specific survival (tCSS). Controlling for SES and other variables, Hispanic ethnicity remained a significant predictor of tCSS. Compared to NHWs, HWs experienced a 41% greater cancer-specific mortality (HR: 1.406, 95% CI: 1.178–1.678, P < 0.001). The mechanism underlying the increased testis cancer mortality experienced by Hispanic patients remains unknown.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Urology, Emory University, 1365 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA

    Timothy V. Johnson & Viraj A. Master

  2. Department of Urology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA

    Wayland Hsiao

  3. Center for Male Reproductive Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA

    Wayland Hsiao

  4. Department of Radiation Oncology, Emory University, Druid Hills, GA, USA

    Ashesh Jani

  5. Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Druid Hills, GA, USA

    Ashesh Jani & Viraj A. Master

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  1. Timothy V. Johnson
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  2. Wayland Hsiao
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  4. Viraj A. Master
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Correspondence to Timothy V. Johnson.

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Johnson, T.V., Hsiao, W., Jani, A. et al. Increased Mortality Among Hispanic Testis Cancer Patients Independent of Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status: A SEER Study. J Immigrant Minority Health 13, 818–824 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-010-9419-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-010-9419-4

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