Abstract A001: Racial differences in cigarettes and marijuana use among acute pancreatitis patients
Authors: Adeniran Esther A. , Yadav Dhiraj , Kim Sungjin , Papachristou Georgios I. , Buxbaum James L. , Pisegna Joseph R. , Pandol Stephen J. , Jeon Christie Y. 
Published: December 2023

Background/Objectives: Smoking increases the risk of pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer, while the effects of marijuana on pancreatic disorders are unknown. Black and White patients with chronic pancreatitis differ in the prevalence of behavioral risk factors, contributing to subsequent racial differences in pancreatic cancer risk, but the behavior pattern has been unexplored in patients with acute pancreatitis (AP). Our objectives were to: 1) estimate the prevalence of current and lifetime cigarettes and marijuana use among AP patients who identify as Black, White, and other races, and examine racial differences in their usage patterns, and 2) describe the type and frequency of marijuana or other cannabis products used among the different racial groups. Methods: We utilized data from an on-going case-crossover study of patients diagnosed with alcohol-associated AP who are recruited from five medical sites in the United States. Hospitalized patients who meet the Revised Atlanta Classification of AP and have an AUDIT-C score of 3 or higher are enrolled in the study. Chi-squared tests were used to assess for racial differences in co-substance use and the type of substance used; while Fisher’s exact test was used to examine racial differences in the frequency of marijuana and other cannabis products used. To account for multiple testing, post-hoc pairwise comparisons were conducted using Holm procedure. Other races included American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Brazilian, Mexican, Indian, and people who did not know or could not provide their race. Results: In this analysis, a total of 143 participants were included, among whom 71 identified as White, 46 as Black, and 20 as belonging to other racial backgrounds. Males comprised 69% of patients and the median age was 39 years. Current cigarette smoking and use of marijuana was reported by 51% and 48% patients, respectively. Concurrent cigarette smoking and marijuana use at enrollment was reported in 19%, while 51.8% reported ever use of both substances. Joints/cigars/blunts (JCB) was the most common form of cannabis product used followed by edibles. Majority of the marijuana users used it regularly: daily (36.2%) or 1-6 days a week (38%). While current co-use was not statistically different between races (24% in White, 17% in Black, and 10% in Other), we found that White (62%) and Black (54%) patients were more likely to report ever use of both cigarette and marijuana than other races (20%) (p= 0.013). The differences were also noted for the use of JCB: 38% in White, 52% in Black, and 10% in other races (p=0.006). Conclusions: We identified racial differences in the usage of cigarettes and marijuana, the use of JCB, and the number of marijuana or other cannabis products. Our findings underscore the importance of considering race when addressing multiple substance use in AP patients.

Citation Format: Esther A. Adeniran, Dhiraj Yadav, Sungjin Kim, Georgios I. Papachristou, James L. Buxbaum, Joseph R. Pisegna, Stephen J. Pandol, Christie Y. Jeon. Racial differences in cigarettes and marijuana use among acute pancreatitis patients [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 16th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2023 Sep 29-Oct 2;Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2023;32(12 Suppl):Abstract nr A001.