About half of patients aged ≥65 years with stage I to III breast cancer—including many with advanced disease—do not receive trastuzumab-based therapy, according to an analysis of more than 1,300 Medicare beneficiaries.

Investigators examined insurance claims data of the participants, all of whom had stage I to III HER2-positive breast cancer, and evaluated the likelihood that race played a role in receiving trastuzumab. Among the results:

• Half of white women and 4 in every 10 black women received some trastuzumab therapy.

• ~Three-fourths of whites with stage III disease, and 56% of blacks with such received trastuzumab.

• After adjusting for tumor characteristics, poverty, and comorbidity, blacks were 25% less likely to receive trastuzumab within 1 year of diagnosis than whites.

Citation: Reeder-Hayes K, Hinton S, Meng K, Carey L, Dusetzina S. Disparities in use of human epidermal growth hormone receptor 2-targeted therapy for early-stage breast cancer. [Published online ahead of print April 11, 2016]. J Clin Oncol. doi:10.1200/JCO.2015.65.8716.