Predictors of stage at presentation and outcomes of head and neck cancers in a university hospital setting.

Abstract

To increase early detection of head and neck cancers, it is important that disparities associated with access to care are addressed. A total of 351 patients aged 20 to 91 years (58.72 ± 11.70 years) diagnosed with head and neck cancers at a university hospital from 1997 to 2010 were analyzed. Logistic regression assessed the association between clinical stage at presentation and predictors. Cox proportional hazards model assessed the effect of stage at presentation on survival. Being African American was associated with increased odds of late stage at presentation (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 2.16; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.01-4.59), and those without health insurance were 10.97 times more likely to present at late stage (95% CI = 1.30-92.49). Unmarried patients were 1.6 times at an increased hazard of death (95% CI = 1.12-2.24). Disparities, such as race and health insurance status, are important predictors of stage at presentation of patients with head and neck cancer. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38: E1826-E1832, 2016.