Disparities in Ocular and Periocular Cancer Outcomes: Assessing Survival in Patients of Hispanic Origin

A nationwide cancer database was used to perform a retrospective cohort study to compare the overall survival and cause-specific survival in patients with ocular and periocular cancer from varying Hispanic origins. A total of 19,831 cases from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registries between 1973 and 2015 were obtained for analysis. All-cause and cause-specific mortality risk, with adjustment for age group, sex, race, tumor site, tumor histology, grade, summary stage, laterality, surgery status, radiotherapy status, and chemotherapy status, was examined using Cox proportional hazard models. Of the patients included 19,194 patients were non-Spanish-Hispanic-Latino, and 637 patients were Spanish-Hispanic Latino. The Spanish-Hispanic-Latino population was further subdivided as 398 of Mexican origin, 44 of Puerto Rican origin, 135 of South or Central American (excluding Brazil) origin, and 60 of other Spanish/Hispanic origin (including Europe origin). The mean (+/-SD) follow-up period was 98.57 (+/-93.23) months. In adjusted Cox regression, patients of Spanish-Hispanic-Latino origin demonstrated increased all-cause (HR, 1.173; 95% CI 1.022-1.347; P = 0.023) and cancer-specific mortality (HR, 1.328; 95% CI 1.099-1.604; P = 0.003) as compared to their non-Spanish-Hispanic-Latino counterparts. Upon subclassification by Hispanic origin, patients of Mexican origin had significantly increased all-cause (HR, 1.229; 95% CI 1.032-1.464; P = 0.021) and cancer-specific mortality (HR, 1.516; 95% CI 1.204-1.909; P < .001) and patients with other Hispanic/Spanish origin, including Europe, had significantly increased all-cause (HR, 1.627; 95% CI 1.16-2.28; P =0.005), but not cancer-specific (HR, 1.243; 95% CI 0.734-2.104; P = 0.418) mortality. Patients of Puerto Rican origin and South or Central American (excluding Brazil) origin had no significant difference in all-cause or cancer-specific mortality compared to those of non-Spanish-Hispanic-Latino origin. Mortality risk from ocular and periocular cancers varies extensively by specific Hispanic origin. A greater understanding of these disparities is essential to identify vulnerable populations and provide adequate treatment to optimize long-term outcomes.