Racial disparity in taxane‐induced neutropenia among cancer patients

BACKGROUND: Large interindividual variations have been reported in chemotherapy‐induced toxicities. Little is known whether racial disparities exist in neutropenia associated with taxanes. METHODS: Patients with a diagnosis of primary cancer who underwent chemotherapy with taxanes were identified from Vanderbilt University Medical Center's Synthetic Derivative. Multinomial regression models were applied to evaluate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of neutropenia associated with race, with adjustments for demographic variables, baseline neutrophil count, chemotherapy‐related information, prior treatments, and cancer site. RESULTS: A total of 3492 patients were included in the study. Compared with White patients, grade 2 or higher neutropenia was more frequently recorded among Black patients who received taxanes overall (42.2% vs. 32.7%, p < 0.001) or paclitaxel (43.0% vs. 36.7%, p < 0.001) but not among those who received docetaxel (32.0% vs. 30.2%, p = 0.821). After adjustments for multiple covariates, Black patients who received chemotherapy with any taxanes had significantly higher risk of grade 2 (OR = 1.53; 95% CI = 1.09–2.14) and grade 3 (OR = 1.91; 95% CI = 1.36–2.67) neutropenia but comparable risk of grade 4 neutropenia (OR = 1.19; 95% CI = 0.79–1.79). Similar association patterns were observed for Black patients who specifically received paclitaxel, but a null association was found for those treated with docetaxel. CONCLUSION: Black cancer patients treated with taxanes for any cancer had a higher risk of neutropenia compared with their White counterparts, especially those who received paclitaxel. More research is needed to understand the mechanism(s) underlying this racial disparity in order to enhance the delivery of patient‐centered oncology.