Association between sociodemographic variables and delayed patient presentation among surgical neuro-oncology patients in Mexico City: a single institution experience.
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PURPOSE: Mexico has the second highest incidence of central and peripheral nervous system cancer cases in Latin America, but clinical and research resources to improve oncologic care are biased towards high-income countries. We carried out a retrospective study to identify sociodemographic factors associated with more severe clinical presentation among surgical neuro-oncology who underwent surgery at a major public referral hospital in Mexico City. METHODS: The hospital electronic medical record was reviewed to identify all surgical neuro-oncology patients who underwent surgery between January 1 and December 31, 2022. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the patient population and outcomes; statistical analysis was performed to determine association between sociodemographic variables and advanced clinical presentation. RESULTS: A total of 366 neuro-oncology patients underwent surgery during the study period. The median patient age was 48 (IQR 17-83). The majority of patients were female (60.1, n = 220), single (51.4%, n = 188), and 29.2% (n = 107) endorsed being the primary provider for their family. The median number of dependents per patient was 4 (IQR 2-50), while the median monthly income was 10269 Mexican pesos (MXN) (IQR 2000-13500] and the median travel distance to INNN was 49 km (IQR 22-174). On multivariate analyses, having a higher number of dependents was associated with increased odds of presenting with longer symptom duration (p = 0.01). Divorced/separated status was associated with increased odds of presenting with tumors > 35mL in volume (p = 0.04). Primary provider (p = 0.01) and higher average monthly income (p = 0.03) was associated with decreased odds of presenting with tumors > 35mL. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to recognize that certain sociodemographic factors are associated with more severe clinical presentation among surgical neuro-oncology patients. Further studies are needed in order to decern specific causes for delayed presentation in this patient population in order to create targeted interventions and decrease delays in care.