DISP-01. FACTORS AFFECTING POST-ABLATION OUTCOMES AND TRIAL ENROLLMENT IN DIVERSE PATIENTS UNDERGOING LASER INTERSTITIAL THERMAL THERAPY

Abstract BACKGROUND Laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) is a surgical treatment for progressive brain metastases (BM) following stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). Although LITT has been increasingly accepted, little is known regarding factors influencing presentation and outcomes of patients with diverse backgrounds. METHODS Retrospective review of all patients receiving their index LITT treatment for BM at a single center from 2015 – 2023. Patient demographics and geospatial data was used to compare differences in receipt of LITT by race or ethnicity, survival outcomes, and clinical trial enrollment. RESULTS From 2015-2023, 137 patients presented for LITT to 146 intracranial lesions. One hundred and six patients (77.3%) were non-Hispanic White (NHW), while among Hispanic or non-White (HNW) patients, 25 (18.2%) were Black or African American, 5 (3.6%) were Asian American, and 1 (0.7%) was Hispanic/Latino. Among HNW patients, women more frequently received LITT (p = 0.022), with skin cancers being a more frequent indication among NHW patients (P = 0.019). NHW patients traveled a median of 62.0 (6.2 – 1045.9) miles to receive LITT vs 25.9 (1.31 – 238.3) miles for HNW patients (p = 0.001). Length of stay, discharge location, or readmission rates did not differ between groups. In multivariate analyses, probability of clinical trial enrollment was less among those of female sex (P = 0.049), HNW race/ethnicity (P = 0.041), or external referral status (P = 0.035), while post-LITT overall survival was predicted by pre-LITT KPS (P = 0.0007) and recurrent tumor on biopsy (P = 0.0002). CONCLUSIONS Differences in presentation for LITT by race or ethnicity may be influenced by underlying patient factors, including sex, systemic disease histology, and distance from a treating center, which do not influence post-LITT procedural outcomes or survival. Accordingly, clinical trial enrollment should be prioritized for vulnerable patient populations to realize the full benefits of laser ablation.