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Hispanic Ethnicity and the Risk of Pediatric Leukemia Relapse
Ernest K Amankwah1, Greg A Hale1
11 Cancer and Blood Disorders Institute Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital, St. Petersburg, FL, USA.
Insights
Hispanic children under 10 with leukemia had a higher relapse risk than non-Hispanic Whites. This pediatric cancer disparity warrants further investigation in larger studies.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Oncology
- Epidemiology
- Health Disparities
Background:
- Pediatric leukemia relapse disparities are not well understood.
- Ethnic variations in cancer outcomes require investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare pediatric leukemia relapse risk between Hispanic and non-Hispanic White children.
- To identify potential ethnic disparities in leukemia relapse rates.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective cohort study of children (<20 years) diagnosed with leukemia.
- Data collected from January 2006 to December 2014 at a single institution.
- Adjusted Cox regression analysis used to calculate hazard ratios for relapse-free survival.
Main Results:
- A significantly higher relapse risk was observed in Hispanic children (<10 years) compared to non-Hispanic Whites (HR=6.19).
- No significant association was found for patients aged ≥10 years or the combined cohort.
- The study included 35 Hispanic and 94 non-Hispanic White patients.
Conclusions:
- Findings suggest a potential ethnic disparity in pediatric leukemia relapse risk among younger children.
- Limitations include a small sample size and single-institution data.
- Larger, multi-institutional studies are needed to confirm these findings.
Abstract:
Limited knowledge currently exists on the disparity in pediatric leukemia relapse. This study compared the risk of pediatric leukemia relapse between Hispanic and non-Hispanic Whites. Study participants were children (<20 years) diagnosed with leukemia from January 2006 to December 2014 at the Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital, St. Petersburg, Florida. Hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals for relapse-free survival were calculated using adjusted Cox regression. The study included 35 Hispanic and 94 non-Hispanic Whites. Among patients <10 years old, there was a significantly higher risk of relapse in Hispanic compared to non-Hispanic Whites (hazard ratio = 6.19, 95% confidence interval = 1.15-33.27). No association was observed for patients aged ≥10 years nor all participants combined. Although the finding of this study may suggest that ethnic disparity in pediatric leukemia relapse may exist in younger children, our finding is limited by the small sample size from a single institution. Therefore, future larger multiinstitutional studies are warranted.
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