(P 137) IMPACT OF SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH ON SARCOMA CARE: A SINGLE INSTITUTION EXPERIENCE

Objective: Previous research has shown that sarcoma patients treated at experienced, high-volume centers have better outcomes. However, social and demographic factors may present barriers to accessing these centers. This study aims to identify social determinants of health (SDoH) factors that affect sarcoma treatment adherence and oncologic outcomes.

Methods: Patients diagnosed with sarcoma at a single institution between 2016 and 2021 were surveyed about SDoH factors and demographic characteristics. Survey questions were derived from previously validated surveys, and data was collected from medical charts regarding oncologic outcomes, treatment adherence, and complications. Descriptive statistics and correlation matrices were used to analyze the data.

Results: Of the 70 patients who completed the survey, 66 had at least one social risk factor (94.29%). The most commonly reported SDoH category was social and community context (83.3% of respondents), followed by healthcare access (68.1%), economic stability (26.4%), and neighborhood and built environment (12.5%). Weak but significant correlations existed between health care access scores and time to treatment, high area deprivation index and metastasis, and income and missed appointments (Table 1 and 2).

Conclusion: Our study highlights the prevalence of social risk factors among sarcoma patients and underscores the importance of addressing them in clinical settings to improve treatment adherence and outcomes. We found that social and community context and health care access were significantly associated with sarcoma treatment outcomes, indicating that interventions targeting these factors may improve patient outcomes.