Date of Award

Summer 2024

Document Type

Open Access Dissertation

Department

Epidemiology and Biostatistics

First Advisor

Swann Adams

Abstract

Introduction. Previous research has shown that age and cancer grade differences must be carefully considered when developing initiatives to improve outcomes for NHL among the young adult population. The aims of this study are 1) to examine differences between low vs. high grade in NHL by race/ethnicity, healthcare insurance, and geographic factors among YAs aged 18-39 years of age in South Carolina, 2) to examine delays in the first course of cancer treatment for NHL by race/ethnicity, healthcare insurance, and county of residence (urban vs. rural) among YAs aged 18-39 years of age in South Carolina, and 3) examine differences in overall and disease-specific survival among NHL patients by race/ethnicity, healthcare insurance, and geographic factors (rural/urban) among YAs aged 18-39 years of age in South Carolina. Methods. NHL cancer cases diagnosed between 2010-2020 were obtained retrospectively from the SC Central Cancer Registry. The three exposure variables for all analyses are race/ethnicity, healthcare insurance, and urban/rural differences. Results. A total of 521 YAs diagnosed with NHL were reported in the study period (2010-2020). Conclusion. The findings may serve as a guide to creating a standardized screening tool by identifying certain groups who have higher than average risk and might benefit from routine screening to help inform updated screening guidelines.

Rights

© 2024, Prema S Bhattacharjee

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