评估社会经济和人口因素的影响，这些因素可能预测头颈癌辅助放疗过度延迟。430名头颈鳞状细胞癌手术切除后连续转诊接受辅助放疗的患者的医疗记录进行了审查。记录从手术到开始放射的天数。为了研究辅助放疗的变异性，我们使用描述性统计数据来确定偏离开始治疗超过推荐的 42 天基准的患者的百分比。卡方统计量用于比较子集之间比例的差异。构建了 Cox 比例风险模型来进行多变量分析，以确定独立影响不依从可能性的因素。手术和开始放射治疗之间的间隔范围为 5 至 128 天（平均 36 天）。白种人、亚洲人、拉丁裔和黑人患者从手术到放射治疗的平均天数分别为 31 天、35 天、40 天和 42 天 (p = 0.01)。总之，430 名患者中有 359 名 (83%) 在 42 天内开始了辅助放疗。在手术后 42 天内开始放射治疗的患者比例，白种人、亚洲人、拉丁裔、黑人和夏威夷原住民/太平洋岛民的比例分别为 91%、86%、71%、65% 和 80%（p < 0.001） ）。与在从手术到放疗的 42 天基准内不遵守及时接受辅助放疗的较高几率相关的患者特征，包括种族（[OR] = 4.23 95 % CI (1.30-7.97)，非英语状态（[OR]=2.38，95%CI：0.61-4.50），社会经济地位低（[OR]=1.21，95%CI：1.01-1.86）。代表性不足的少数群体更有可能延迟接受辅助放射治疗头颈癌。讨论了潜在的根本原因。版权所有 © 2023 Elsevier Ltd。保留所有权利。

To evaluate the influence of socioeconomic and demographic factors which might predict for excessive delays in the receipt of adjuvant radiotherapy for head and neck cancer.The medical records of 430 consecutive patients referred for adjuvant radiation after surgical resection for squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck were reviewed. The number of days from surgery to initiation of radiation was recorded. To study the variability in which adjuvant radiation was delivered, descriptive statistics were used to determine the percentage of patients who deviated from starting treatment beyond the recommended benchmark of 42 days. The chi-square statistic was used to compare differences in proportion among subsets. A Cox proportional hazards model was constructed to perform a multi-variate analysis to identify factors which independently influenced the likelihood for non-adherence.The interval between surgery and the start of radiation therapy ranged from 5 to 128 days (mean, 36 days). The mean number of days from surgery to radiation therapy was 31 days, 35 days, 40 days, and 42 days for Caucasians, Asians, Latino, and Black patients (p = 0.01). In all, 359 of 430 patients (83 %) started adjuvant radiation within 42 days. The proportion of patients who initiated radiation therapy within 42 days of surgery was 91 %, 86 %, 71 %, 65 %, and 80 % for Caucasians, Asians, Latinos, Blacks, and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders, respectively (p < 0.001). Patient characteristics associated with higher odds of non-adherence to the timely receipt of adjuvant radiation therapy within then 42-day benchmark from surgery to radiation included race ([OR] = 4.23 95 % CI (1.30-7.97), non-English speaking status ([OR] = 2.38, 95 % CI: 0.61-4.50), and low socioeconomic status ([OR] = 1.21, 95 % CI: 1.01-1.86).Underrepresented minorities are more likely to experience delays in the receipt of adjuvant radiation for head and neck cancer. The potential underlying reasons are discussed.Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.