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The first study to compare national myelofibrosis outcomes with a large minority cohort illustrates links between age, gender, and ethnicity and worse survival.

Findings from a study published in Annals of Hematology demonstrated the correlation between social and demographic factors and myelofibrosis (MF) survival, stressing the significance of equitable healthcare and the need for further investigation to understand the impact of social-demographic factors on MF survival.

“This study aims to (1) investigate socio-demographic variables associated with survival of MF patients in the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) national database and a unique inner-city multi-ethnic cohort, and (2) to investigate demographic and clinical factors in the single-center cohort which vary between ethnicities,” Swati Goel, MD, and colleagues wrote.

Researchers gathered and examined data from the SEER database and Montefiore Medical Center (MMC), an underserved inner-city hospital, between 2000 and 2021 and 2000 and 2023, respectively.

The SEER cohort comprised 5,403 patients with myelofibrosis, principally Non-Hispanic White (82%), with an average age of 69 years. 0.32 cases per 100,000 person-years, growing by 1.3% annually, and two- and five-year survival rates of 69% and 42% for the age-adjusted incidence rate. Moreover, outcomes of worse survival correlated with being of age, male sex, and pre-2011 diagnosis, and non-Hispanic Black ethnicity, unmarried status, and lower income predicted worse overall survival.

Results from the single-center examination of 84 cases showed an average age of 66 years, with non-Hispanic White (37%) and non-Hispanic Black (28.5%) patients. Two- and five-year survival rates of 90% and 61%, respectively, with non-Hispanic Black patients having the lowest median survival; however, the variance was not deemed statistically significant. In this cohort, age was a substantial predictor of worse survival, and compared to non-Hispanic White patients, non-Hispanic Black, and Hispanic patients endured higher socioeconomic stressors.

“Our study shows that social and demographic factors, including sex, race, marital status, and income, are associated with survival in myelofibrosis,” Dr. Goel and colleagues wrote. “To our knowledge, this is the first study to compare national MF outcomes to that of an underserved minority-predominant cohort.”

The authors concluded that this study highlights the intricate interaction between demographic and socioeconomic factors in determining survival outcomes in MF. The findings add valuable insights to the ongoing discussion about equity in healthcare outcomes, and future research should aim to confirm these findings in larger, more diverse cohorts that delve into the underlying causes of survival disparities that are not directly related to the disease.