Indian Health Service Care System and Cancer Stage in American Indians and Alaska Natives.

Purpose: We aimed to determine whether the association between late-stage cancer and American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) race differed by enrollment in the Indian Health Service Care System (IHSCS).

Methods: We used Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) data linked to Medicare files to compare the odds of late-stage breast, colorectal, lung, or prostate cancer between non-Hispanic Whites (NHWs) (n=285,993) and AI/ANs with (n=581) and without (n=543) IHSCS enrollment.

Results: For AI/ANs without IHSCS enrollment, the odds of late-stage disease were higher in AI/ANs compared with NHWs for breast (OR=3.

Cancer Treatment Delays in American Indians and Alaska Natives Enrolled in Medicare.

To assess whether timing of initial post-diagnosis cancer care differs between American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) and non-Hispanic White (NHW) patients, we accessed SEER-Medicare data for breast, colorectal, lung, and prostate cancers (2001-2007). Medicare claims data were examined for initiation of cancer-directed treatment. Overall, AI/ANs experienced longer median times to starting treatment than NHWs (45 and 39 days, p < .

Cancer Stage in American Indians and Alaska Natives Enrolled in Medicaid.

Introduction: Nationally, a greater proportion of American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) are diagnosed with advanced-stage cancers compared with non-Hispanic whites. The reasons for observed differences in stage at diagnosis between AI/ANs and non-Hispanic whites remain unclear.

Methods: Medicaid, Indian Health Service Care Systems, and state cancer registry data for California, Oregon, and Washington (2001-2008, analyzed in 2014-2015) were linked to identify AI/ANs and non-Hispanic whites diagnosed with invasive breast, cervical, colorectal, lung, or prostate cancer.

Cancer-Directed Therapy and Hospice Care for Metastatic Cancer in American Indians and Alaska Natives.

Background: Little has been reported regarding patterns of oncologic care in American Indian/Alaska Natives (AI/AN). Observed worse survival has been attributed to later-stage presentation. We aimed to evaluate racial differences in cancer-directed therapy and hospice care utilization in AI/ANs and non-Hispanic whites (NHW) with metastatic cancer.