Infection-related mortality in Hispanic and non-Hispanic children with cancer

Hispanic children with cancer experience poorer survival than their White counterparts. Infection is a known cause of cancer-related mortality; however, little is known about the risk of infection-related death among Hispanic children with cancer. We examine the association of Hispanic ethnicity with infection-related mortality and life-threatening events among children with cancer.

For a cohort of all pediatric cancer patients diagnosed from 1986 to 2012 and treated at a single tertiary care center, we obtained national death records to determine all-cause mortality and infection-related mortality, as well as intensive care unit (ICU) admissions as a surrogate for life-threatening events. Cox proportional hazard models assessed all-cause mortality and infection-related mortality using ethnicity as the main independent variable. ICU admission rates were modeled using a zero-inflated Poisson regression model. Models were adjusted for gender, diagnosis year, age, residential location, and diagnosis.

Of 6,198 patients, 741 (12%) were Hispanic. Mean follow-up was 11 years (SD = 8.04). There were 1,205 deaths, with 193 attributable to infection. Differences in all-cause mortality between Hispanic and non-Hispanic patients did not reach significance (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.14, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.96-1.36). However, Hispanic patients were 68% (HR = 1.68, 95% CI: 1.16-2.43) more likely to have an infection-related cause of death. Hispanic ethnicity was statistically associated with a higher rate of ICU admissions (rate ratio = 1.32, 95% CI: 1.12-1.56).

Hispanic pediatric cancer patients were more likely to have an infection-related death and higher rates of ICU admissions than non-Hispanic patients. Infection may be an overlooked contributor to poorer outcomes among Hispanic patients.