Institutions Treating Breast Cancer Patients of a Low Socioeconomic Status Achieve Multidisciplinary Quality Standards at Lower Rates

Background The National Accreditation Program of Breast Centers (NAPBC) certifies institutions that provide quality breast care. Whereas low socioeconomic status (SES) has a negative impact on patient outcomes, it is unknown whether an institution's patient SES mix is associated with meeting NAPBC standards. Methods All institutions submitting at least 100 breast cancer patients to the National Cancer Database (2006-2017) were ranked based on the patients' insurance status, income, and education. The 10% treating the largest proportion of low-SES patients were termed low-SES institutions (LSES). Patient cohorts were created based on the 2018 NAPBC standards. Uni- and multivariate comparisons of patient, tumor, and treatment factors were made to calculate adjusted odds of meeting each standard between low- and non-low-SES institutions. Results The analysis included 1319 institutions. Both the LSES and non-LSES reached the benchmark rate of 50% lumpectomies (61.2 vs 62.9%; p < 0.001), but the unadjusted and adjusted rates of lumpectomy were lower in LSES. The rate for sentinel lymphadenectomy was lower for LSES (49.2 vs 53.7%; p < 0.001). Similarly, the unadjusted and adjusted rates of adjuvant chemotherapy and endocrine therapy were lower at LSES. Although the unadjusted rate of adjuvant radiation was higher at LSES, adjusted odds demonstrated that patients treated at LSES were less likely to undergo adjuvant radiation when appropriate. Conclusions Small but significant differences in achieving multidisciplinary standards for quality breast cancer care exist between LSES and non-LSES and may exacerbate disparities already faced by patients of low SES.