Cancer admission pattern and outcomes among culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) migrant population: An Australian retrospective single-centre study.

Abstract

Background: Australia has a high immigrant population with nearly half of its residents identifying as culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD). This study aims to examine patterns of cancer-related hospital admissions and outcomes among CALD patients at a tertiary cancer centre in Melbourne Australia. Method(s): This retrospective study was conducted through chart audit from January to March 2024. Patients with solid organ malignancies were categorized into CALD and non-CALD cohorts. CALD is defined as individuals born outside Australia whose primary and preferred language is not English. Data extracted from electronic medical records included patient and tumour characteristics admission reasons average length of stay medical emergency team (MET) calls intensive care unit (ICU) admissions clinical trial participation and time from diagnosis to treatment and death. Result(s): A total of 314 inpatient admissions were recorded for 228 patients of whom 53 (23.2%) were CALD accounting for 79 admissions (25.2%). Across both cohorts individuals were born in 45 different countries with a median age of 67 years. Gastrointestinal lung and gynaecological cancers accounted for 58% of total admissions (n=183/314). No significant differences were observed between CALD and non-CALD patients receiving curative intent treatment (17% vs 19%; P=0.745) or time from diagnosis to treatment (35.6 vs 30.6 days; P=0.341). The three most common reasons for admission were identified with infection rates significantly higher in the CALD group (45.6% vs 30.6%; P = 0.016) although the mean length of stay for infection was shorter (5.33 vs 7.86 days; P=0.052). Rates of palliative care reviews MET calls and ICU admissions were comparable between groups. None of the CALD patients participated in clinical trials during the study period compared to 12 participants in the non-CALD group (P = 0.041). Conclusion(s): The rate of infection requiring admission was significantly higher among the CALD population while the clinical trial participation rate was lower. Due to the varying prevalence of CALD population in Victoria, further research is necessary to validate this finding and elucidate plausible causes. Editorial acknowledgement: I am grateful to A/Prof Zee Wan Wong and Dr Alesha Thai for their editorial input in the preparation of this abstract.