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.

Clinical Pediatrics
|September 21, 2017
PubMed

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.

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