Although approximately half of patients with cancer receive symptom management and advance care planning (ACP), a new study reports that the percentage is much worse—only approximately 20%—for low-income and minority patients. The researchers note that this disparity results in not just reduced quality of life for the patients but also increased costs of care for individuals and overall.

The study found a slew of obstacles behind this imbalance, including inadequate time with clinicians, a lack of sufficient reimbursement, and social biases such as racism. “Yet few interventions address such disparate care,” wrote the researchers. The study appears in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (doi:10.1200/JCO.23.00309).

尽管大约一半的癌症患者接受了症状管理和预先护理计划 (ACP)，但一项新研究报告称，低收入和少数族裔患者的比例要低得多，仅为 20% 左右。研究人员指出，这种差异不仅导致患者的生活质量下降，而且还增加了个人和整体的护理成本。

研究发现这种不平衡背后存在一系列障碍，包括与临床医生接触的时间不足、缺乏足够的报销以及种族主义等社会偏见。研究人员写道：“然而，很少有干预措施能够解决这种不同的护理问题。”该研究发表在《临床肿瘤学杂志》 (doi:10.1200/JCO.23.00309) 上。