Disparities among racial/ethnic groups of patients diagnosed with ependymoma: analyses from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) registry.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to identify racial/ethnic disparities with regard to survival among patients with ependymoma.
Methods: Data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) registry between the years of 1973-2015 which included 4821 patients diagnosed with ependymoma were analyzed. Multivariable cox proportional hazard ratios were performed to examine overall survival across racial/ethnic groups of patients with ependymoma, mortality risks across specified age groups, and mortality during specified time intervals, all with corresponding 95% confidence intervals.
Results: Non-Hispanic black patients (n = 421) have higher risk of overall mortality when compared to non-Hispanic white patients (n = 3255) with ependymoma (HR 1.48, CI 1.17-1.87). Risk of mortality was highest when comparing non-Hispanic black children under the age of 3 to non-Hispanic white children of the same age group (HR 3.05, CI 1.55-5.99). Mortality risk has increased among pediatric non-Hispanic black patients compared to pediatric non-Hispanic white patients between the years of 2006-2015, from previous rates between the years 1973-2005 (HR 1.95, CI 1.15-3.33 and HR 2.35, CI 1.24-4.44). Hispanic patients under 3 years had an increased risk of mortality compared to non-Hispanic white patients of this age group (HR 2.49, CI 1.37-4.53). Asian/Pacific Islander patients (n = 282) had no significant difference in outcomes when compared to non-Hispanic white patients.
Conclusions: Our findings showed higher risk of mortality among non-Hispanic black patients compared to non-Hispanic white patients with ependymoma, with highest risk among pediatric patients. These results demonstrate significant need for research in survival outcomes for this disease.