Association of County-level Upward Economic Mobility with Stage at Diagnosis and Receipt of Treatment Among Patients Diagnosed with Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma

Objective: Determining the impact of county-level upward economic mobility on stage at diagnosis and receipt of treatment among Medicare beneficiaries with pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Summary background data: The extent to which economic mobility contributes to socioeconomic disparities in health outcomes remains largely unknown. Methods: Pancreatic adenocarcinoma patients diagnosed in 2004–2015 were identified from the SEER-Medicare linked database. Information on county-level upward economic mobility was obtained from the Opportunity Atlas. Its impact on early-stage diagnosis (stage I or II), as well as receipt of chemotherapy or surgery was analyzed, stratified by patient race/ethnicity. Results: Among 25,233 patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma, 37.1%(n = 9349) were diagnosed at an early stage; only 16.7%(n = 4218) underwent resection, whereas 31.7%(n = 7996) received chemotherapy. In turn, 10,073(39.9%) patients received any treatment. Individuals from counties with high upward economic mobility were more likely to be diagnosed at an earlier stage (OR 1.15, 95% CI 1.07-1.25), as well as to receive surgery (OR 1.58, 95% CI 1.41-1.77) or chemotherapy (OR 1.51, 95% CI 1.39-1.63). White patients and patients who identified as neither White or Black had increased odds of being diagnosed at an early stage (OR 1.12, 95% CI 1.02-1.22 and OR 1.35, 95% CI 1.02-1.80, respectively) and of receiving treatment (OR 1.73, 95% CI 1.59-1.88 and OR 1.49, 95% CI 1.13-1.98, respectively) when they resided in a county of high vs low upward economic mobility. The impact of economic mobility on stage at diagnosis and receipt of treatment was much less pronounced among Black patients (high vs low, OR 1.28, 95% CI 0.96-1.71 and OR 1.30, 95% CI 0.99-1.72, respectively). Conclusions: Pancreatic adenocarcinoma patients from higher upward mobility areas were more likely to be diagnosed at an earlier stage, as well as to receive surgery or chemotherapy. The impact of county-level upward mobility was less pronounced among Black patients.