Issues

The cover image is adapted from Figure 1 in the article "The Role of Socioeconomic Status and Race/Ethnicity in Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor Survival: A Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Based Analysis," by Domingues and colleagues. The original image shows Kaplan-Meier survival curves for individuals diagnosed with malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs) between 2000 and 2016, stratified by racial/ethnic group. Recent investigations of MPNST survival have reported higher mortality among non-White individuals. Although socioeconomic factors are intertwined with race/ethnicity and may also influence MPNST 5 outcomes, previous studies have not investigated the role of socioeconomic status (SES) in MPNST survival. This analysis aims to further elucidate factors affecting MPNST survival including census-tract level SES (CT-SES), through an analysis of data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program. The study provides evidence that among pediatric and young adult patients, non-White populations experience inferior survival compared to Whites, independent of CT-SES. The findings also suggest that the effect of CT-SES on MPNST survival may differ by racial/ethnic group and that barriers to healthcare for certain racial/ethnic groups extend beyond SES. For more information, see the article beginning on page 1830.