Background and aim: There are substantial differences in pancreatic cancer outcomes across ethnoracial stratifications. We sought to assess racial, ethnic, sex and age reporting and inclusion of participants in pancreatic cancer screening studies.
Methods: A systematic search of Cochrane Library, Ovid Embase, Google Scholar, Ovid Medline, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science Core Collection from inception to 2022 was conducted. Original studies on pancreatic cancer screening were identified and assessed for reporting and inclusion on race, ethnicity, sex, and age. The pooled proportions of study participants for these characteristics were calculated and compared with population-based benchmarks.
Results: Among 27 eligible pancreatic cancer screening studies, 26 reported data on either sex, race, or ethnicity, with a total of 5273 participants. Information on participant sex was reported by 26, race by 12, and ethnicity by 8 studies. Participants in these studies were almost all White (pooled proportion=93.1%; 95%CI:89.7%-96.4%) and non-Latino (pooled proportion=97.4%, 95% CI:94.0%-100%), and these groups were overrepresented when compared with the general population. Females were well represented with pooled proportion=63.2% (95% CI:59.9%-66.6). When reported, mean or median participant age was < 60 years. Meta regression revealed higher proportion of females in studies from the United States (p=0.002). No association between increasing participation of racial or ethnic underrepresented populations and study quality, ascending year of publication, or source of study funding was noted.
Conclusion: Substantial disparities in race, ethnicity, sex, and age reporting and inclusion in pancreatic cancer studies were noted, even among high-quality and publicly funded studies.
Keywords: equity; pancreas; representation; screening.
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