Cross-sectional study of inpatient care and outcomes among people with cancer experiencing homelessness

Cancer is a leading cause of death among people experiencing homelessness (PEH) in the USA. A cross-sectional study investigated the association of housing status with differences in the inpatient care of hospitalized adults with cancer. In this study of 13,838,612 adults with cancer involving 45,510 PEH and 13,793,462 housed adults, PEH were significantly less likely to receive inpatient systemic therapy (aOR 0.73; 95% CI 0.63-0.85) or invasive procedures (0.53; 0.49-0.56) despite having a higher prevalence of more aggressive cancers and longer lengths of stay. The authors conclude that disparities exist in the inpatient management between PEH and housed patients with cancer.