The impact of race, age, and sex in follicular lymphoma: A comprehensive SEER analysis across consecutive treatment eras

The impact of race/ethnicity and the additional factors of age, sex, and socioeconomic status (SES) on follicular lymphoma (FL) outcomes have not been comprehensively studied and are not well defined. We examined population-based FL data from >18,000 patients in SEER-13 (1992-2009) investigating race/ethnicity and the impact of relevant factors including sex, age, and SES. Further, we compared data over two consecutive periods: Era-1 (1992-2000, n=8,355) and Era-2 (2001-2009, n=10,475). We identified 18,830 FL patients (White: n=15,116; Hispanic: n=1,627; Asian/Pacific Islander (A/PI): n=1,002; and Black: n=846). Median ages (years) differed significantly by race/ethnicity: White: 62.1, Hispanic: 57.3, A/PI: 60.7, and Black: 56.8 (P<0.01 each race versus White). Overall survival (OS) was superior in Era-2 versus Era-1 for all patients (5-year: 76.7% versus 67.4%, respectively, P<0.001). Further, survival was significantly improved for all age groups <80 years, for males (P=0.0019), and females (P<0.001) across eras. Females had superior OS compared with males in Era-1 (P=0.004), but not in Era-2. Additionally, all races, except A/PI, had improved 5-year OS rates from Era-1 to Era-2. Finally, OS improved across eras for lower and higher SES populations; however those with higher SES were superior to lower SES patients in both eras. In conclusion, and in the largest comprehensive evaluation of US-based FL patients to date, we show that despite improvements in OS for FL over time, critical disparities across races/ethnicities, sex, and age groups remain in the modern era and warrant further studies. Am. J. Hematol. 89:633-638, 2014. (c) 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.