Nathanael R. Fillmore
Publications / 2019
paper
Blood2019doi:10.1182/blood.2019000406

With equal access, African American patients have superior survival compared to white patients with multiple myeloma: a VA study.

Nathanael R. Fillmore†, Sarvari V. Yellapragada†, Chizoba Ifeorah, Ansh Mehta, Diana Cirstea, Paul S. White, Gustavo Rivero, Andrew Zimolzak, Saiju Pyarajan, Nhan Do, Mary Brophy, Nikhil C. Munshi

† Equal first authorship

Summary

African American veterans with multiple myeloma demonstrated superior overall survival compared to white veterans when provided with equal access to healthcare and novel therapies. These findings suggest that known racial disparities in cancer outcomes may be primarily driven by socioeconomic barriers rather than biological differences.

Key result

Among veterans with multiple myeloma and equal access to healthcare, African American patients had a significantly longer median overall survival than white patients (5.07 years vs 4.52 years; P < .001), with the disparity most pronounced in those diagnosed under age 65 (7.07 years vs 5.83 years; P < .001).

Key figure

Key figure from With equal access, African American patients have superior survival compared to white patients with multiple myeloma: a VA study.