A Neighborhood-Level Hispanic Paradox: the Interaction between Hispanic Density, Neighborhood Disadvantage, and Survival in Breast Cancer Patients.

Background: To evaluate the impact of Hispanic ethnic enclaves (EE) on the relationship between neighborhood disadvantage and overall survival (OS) in breast cancer (BCa) patients.

Methods: Data from BCa patients with stage I-IV disease diagnosed between 2005-2017 was used to analyze the effects of Area Deprivation Index (ADI) scores, a measure of neighborhood disadvantage, and census-tract level Hispanic density, a measure of EE, on OS using mixed-effects Cox regression models. The final model included the following individual-level factors (age, income, race, Hispanic/Latino origin, nativity, insurance status, and comorbidities (hypertension, diabetes, and body mass index) and clinical factors (National Comprehensive Cancer Network guideline-concordant treatment, stage, and receptor subtype).

Results: 5,387 patients were analyzed. 52% resided in Hispanic EE. Enclave residents were predominantly White (93%), with Cubans the predominant subgroup (37%). Overall, there were 1,040 deaths within the cohort. Patients residing in highly disadvantaged neighborhoods (ADI Tertile 3 [ADIT3]) within Hispanic EE experienced reduced HR compared to those outside of EE, evidenced by the interaction effect [EE x ADIT3 - HR (95% CI): 0.66 (0.44, 0.98)].

Conclusions: Hispanic EE may protect against mortality in BCa patients, suggesting positive social factors help combat negative effects of neighborhood disadvantage for patients. Understanding protective attributes of EE can help create effective cancer interventions and promote more equitable outcomes in minority populations.

Impact: This study found that EE may protect against mortality in BCa patients, suggesting positive social factors may help mitigate the negative effects caused by the neighborhood.