Faculty, Staff and Student Publications
Language
English
Publication Date
12-1-2025
Journal
Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention
DOI
10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-25-0922
PMID
41324418
PMCID
PMC12781143
PubMedCentral® Posted Date
1-9-2026
PubMedCentral® Full Text Version
Author MSS
Abstract
Background: Oral cavity cancer (OCC) is marked by racial and ethnic disparities. We examined these differences in OCC stage at diagnosis and whether neighborhood-level social vulnerability, a measure of susceptibility to hardship at the census-tract level, modifies disparities.
Methods: We identified adults newly diagnosed with OCC (1995 to 2020) from the Texas Cancer Registry. We estimated the association between stage at diagnosis and race and ethnicity using logistic regression and assessed effect modification by neighborhood-level social vulnerability.
Results: The sample included 12,957 reported OCC cases, 77% non-Hispanic White, 6% non-Hispanic Black, and 14% Hispanic patients, and 47.4% late stage at diagnosis. Non-Hispanic Black (OR 3.30; 95% CI 2.81, 3.88), Hispanic (OR 2.02; 95% CI 1.83, 2.24), non-Hispanic Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (OR 1.66; 95% CI 1.33, 2.07) patients had higher odds of late stage at diagnosis compared to non-Hispanic White counterparts. Neighborhood-level social vulnerability modified the associations on an additive scale only for non-Hispanic Black patients. Non-Hispanic Black patients living in the most (OR 4.72; 95% CI 3.70, 6.02) but not least (OR 1.55; 95% CI 0.81, 2.94) vulnerable neighborhoods had higher odds of late stage at diagnosis compared to non-Hispanic White patients living in the least vulnerable neighborhoods.
Conclusions: Racial and ethnic minorities were diagnosed with later stage OCC and minority patients living in the most vulnerable neighborhoods had the highest odds. Addressing neighborhood-level social factors may lessen disparities.
Impact: Understanding the underlying mechanisms driving these disparities is essential to developing effective interventions to mitigate them.
Published Open-Access
yes
Recommended Citation
Tortolero, Guillermo A; Sturgis, Erich M; Yamal, Jose-Miguel; et al., "Neighborhood-Level Social Vulnerability, Race and Ethnicity, and Stage at Diagnosis: A Population-Based Study of 12,957 Patients with Oral Cavity Cancer" (2025). Faculty, Staff and Student Publications. 1293.
https://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/uthsph_docs/1293