Publications by authors named "Matthew P Banegas"
Importance: Rates of early-onset (before 50 years of age) colorectal cancer (EOCRC) are increasing, with notable differences across racial and ethnic groups. Limited data are available on EOCRC-related mortality differences when disaggregating racial and ethnic groups.
Objective: To investigate racial and ethnic differences in EOCRC mortality, including disaggregation of Asian American populations separately, including Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander populations and specific Asian American groups, and to quantify the contribution of clinical and sociodemographic factors accounting for these differences.
Purpose: Bladder cancer is 1 of the most costly cancers, however there is limited research on medical care costs by type of urinary diversion. The objective of our study was to compare medical care costs of the 2 most common urinary diversions in the year following radical cystectomy.
Methods: The Bladder Cancer Quality of Life Study included patients diagnosed with bladder cancer who underwent radical cystectomy and received an ileal conduit (IC, n = 821) or neobladder (NB, n = 181) in 3 integrated health systems.
Clinical trials continue to struggle with recruiting diverse participants that include historically underrepresented and minoritized patients, who are typically patients in non-white racial and ethnic groups and have low income (Medicaid). Enrolling diverse participants will benefit the health sciences by providing more generalizable findings. The Cancer Financial Experience project (CAFÉ) study sought to improve financial distress by providing financial navigation for newly diagnosed cancer patients, and intentionally recruited diverse participants.
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- Adverse social determinants of health significantly increase the risk of chronic health conditions, yet there's a lack of research on whether communities have adequate services to address these needs.
- A geospatial analysis was conducted to assess the coverage of social care providers in relation to the locations of Kaiser Permanente Northwest members suffering from various health-related social needs (HRSNs), such as food insecurity and transportation issues.
- The results showed that 97-98% of members with HRSNs lived within a 30-minute travel distance to a provider, indicating effective service availability, although some rural patients faced challenges in reaching care.
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- Interpersonal communication is really important for helping kids with cancer and their families manage their care and feel better overall.
- The study involved talking to 15 Hispanic caregivers to understand their experiences with doctors and nurses during their child's cancer treatment.
- Caregivers shared both positive communication experiences and challenges, like language differences and not fully understanding the cancer diagnosis, which can make things tough.
Objective: Epilepsy is associated with significant health disparities, including access to specialized care and adverse outcomes that have been associated with several social determinants of health (SDOH). We sought to examine the relationship between individual- and community-level SDOH and cognitive outcomes in older adults with epilepsy.
Materials And Methods: We collected clinical, SDOH, and neuropsychological data in 57 older adults with epilepsy.
Article Synopsis
- Prostate cancer might affect Black men differently than White men, especially when treated with radiation therapy, which could lead to better results for Black men in some cases.
- This study looked at how the use of hormone treatment (ADT) changes the outcomes of radiation therapy for Black and White men with prostate cancer.
- Researchers found around 26,542 men received radiation for prostate cancer, and when looking at the data, Black men on ADT had a better chance of avoiding cancer recurrence compared to White men, while those not on ADT had a slightly worse outcome.
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- Cancer survivors sometimes struggle to afford basic needs like food and housing, which can be really tough for their health.
- Researchers studied a big group of cancer survivors to see how these struggles relate to their risk of dying.
- They found that younger survivors with serious struggles had a higher risk of dying, and older survivors with multiple financial issues also faced increased risks.
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- The study looked at older patients (65 years and up) who needed dental care and checked if they had any social needs like money problems or being alone.
- Out of 754 patients, about 28% had at least one social need, with the most common being feeling isolated and having financial issues.
- Patients with one social need were more likely to take care of their health issues after the dental visit compared to those who didn't have any social needs.
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- The study looked at how social needs like food insecurity and social isolation affect older adults' health care visits.
- It analyzed data from almost 10,000 older Medicare members to see if their social issues led to more trips to the emergency room or hospital.
- Results showed that financial problems, housing issues, and feeling isolated could lead to more emergency visits, especially for those with financial strain.
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- The study looks at how Hispanic/Latino parents feel about the help they get while taking care of their kids who survived cancer.
- Interviews with 15 parents showed that support from others helps them feel better and manage their caregiving.
- However, some parents struggle with having enough help, especially if they are single or if friends and family pull away after the child's diagnosis.
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- Colorectal cancer mortality rates in Latin America increased by 20.56% from 1990 to 2019, highlighting a concerning trend in health outcomes across the region.
- The study utilized data from the Global Burden of Disease Study to analyze mortality rates by country and human development indices, revealing a slowing increase in rates over time and significant differences between countries.
- The findings suggest that human development factors have a substantial impact on colorectal cancer mortality, indicating a need for focused research on social and economic contexts to improve cancer treatment and prevention strategies in Latin America.
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- Latinas in the U.S. face higher breast cancer mortality but lack comprehensive studies on mammography ordering in primary care settings.
- An analysis over a decade involving 181,755 women revealed that English-preferring Latinas had lower mammogram order rates compared to non-Hispanic white women, while Spanish-preferring Latinas had higher odds of receiving mammogram orders.
- The study concludes that barriers to breast cancer detection for low-income Latinas are likely due to accessibility issues rather than a lack of mammogram orders from primary care providers.
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- This qualitative study examines the mental health challenges faced by Hispanic parents of childhood cancer survivors (CCSs) using the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping.
- Interviewing 15 caregivers from a safety-net hospital in Los Angeles County, researchers found high levels of stress, anxiety, and depression following their child's cancer diagnosis.
- The study identified three main coping strategies among parents: problem-focused (e.g., social support), emotion-focused (e.g., religious practices), and avoidant (e.g., denial), highlighting a need for culturally tailored support programs.
Importance: The US Preventive Services Task Force guidelines advise against prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening for prostate cancer in males older than 69 years due to the risk of false-positive results and overdiagnosis of indolent disease. However, this low-value PSA screening in males aged 70 years or older remains common.
Objective: To characterize the factors associated with low-value PSA screening in males 70 years or older.
The Association Between Social Isolation and Memory Loss Among Older Adults.
J Am Board Fam Med
December 2022
Article Synopsis
- Social isolation in older adults is linked to negative health effects, including memory loss, particularly among those enrolled in Medicare at large health care systems.
- A study involving Medicare members aged 65 and older showed that individuals who reported feeling socially isolated were more likely to experience memory loss compared to those who felt less isolated.
- The findings highlight the importance of addressing social isolation, suggesting that interventions may help reduce isolation and potentially lessen memory loss in older adults.
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- People with serious illnesses think about their legacy, or what they will leave behind, when making medical decisions, like whether to spend money on treatments that might not help them.
- There is not much research on how legacy affects these decisions, and no clear framework exists to understand the connections between legacy and healthcare choices.
- This study aims to gather and analyze existing research to better understand the link between legacy and treatment decisions for seriously ill patients, using multiple research databases and a detailed selection process for relevant articles.
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- Health systems are trying to help people deal with tough social situations to make healthcare better.
- A survey was done with Kaiser Permanente members in Southern California to see how their social risks and need for help changed over time.
- The study found that people's social risks stayed pretty consistent, but their desire for help changed more often; also, only housing problems led to more emergency care later.
Importance: Primary care physicians (PCPs) are significant contributors of early cancer detection, yet few studies have investigated whether consistent primary care translates to improved downstream outcomes.
Objective: To evaluate the association of prediagnostic primary care use with metastatic disease at diagnosis and cancer-specific mortality (CSM).
Design, Setting, And Participants: This cohort study used databases with primary care and referral linkage from multiple Veterans' Affairs centers from 2004 to 2017 and had a 68-month median follow-up.
Article Synopsis
- A study looked at prostate cancer screening among men, focusing on African American (AA) men and non-Hispanic White (NHW) men to see if they were getting screened fairly based on their risk of cancer.
- They found that fewer AA men reported getting screened compared to NHW men, but factors like income and education made a big difference in those results.
- The researchers concluded that even though prostate cancer affects AA men more, there are issues like systemic racism and education that impact their access to screening.