Social Determinants of Outcomes Disparity among Pediatric Patients with Solid Tumor

Socioeconomic factors have a significant impact on healthcare outcomes. Metrics such as area deprivation index (ADI) are used to quantify the anticipated influence of these factors. Here, we sought to assess the impact of socioeconomic factors on clinical outcomes among pediatric patients with solid tumor in our region.

We identified 3,863 pediatric patients who were diagnosed with a malignant solid tumor in the Texas Cancer Registry between 1995 and 2019. ADI was used to quantify socioeconomic determinants of health. These outcome variables were determined: stage of disease at diagnosis, time between diagnosis and treatment initiation, and overall mortality. Statistical analysis was performed using logistic regression, linear regression, Cox proportional hazards regression, and Kaplan-Meier survival curves.

A total of 53.5% of patients were male and the average age at diagnosis was 4.5 years. Forty-seven percent of patients were White, 13.3% were Black, 36.2% were Hispanic, 1.7% were Asian, and other rare minority groups made up 1.8%. On multivariable analysis, increased risk of death was associated with Black race, rare minority race, residence in a border county, and increasing ADI score, with the risk of death at 5 years rising 4% with each increasing ADI point.

Social determinants of health are associated with disparate outcomes among pediatric patients with solid tumor. Our results suggest that patients who are part of racial minority groups and those who reside in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods or regions near the Texas-Mexico border are at an increased risk of death. This information may be useful in strategizing outreach and expanding resources to improve outcomes in at-risk communities.