Ethnic disparities in childhood leukemia survival by border residence: A Texas population‐based analysis. Issue 8 (21st February 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Castellanos, Maria I.; Oluyomi, Abiodun O.; Chambers, Tiffany M.; Gramatges, Maria M.; Winestone, Lena E.; Lupo, Philip J.; Scheurer, Michael E.
• Is Part Of: Cancer. Volume 129:Issue 8(2023)
• Page Start: 1276
• Page End: 1286
• Publication Date: 2023-02-21
• Subjects: cancer health disparities -- childhood leukemia -- rural -- survival analysis -- urban -- US–Mexico border; Cancer -- Periodicals; Cancer -- Cytopathology -- Periodicals; 616.99405
• DOI: 10.1002/cncr.34636
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0008-543X

Abstract

Abstract: Background: The US–Mexico border is a medically underserved region where survival disparities have been observed in adults diagnosed and treated for various malignancies. Studies examining survival disparities among children living in this region and diagnosed with cancer are lacking. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of border residence on survival among children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and living near the Texas–Mexico border at the time of their diagnosis. The authors hypothesized that this group experiences inferior survival compared with patients with childhood leukemia living in nonborder areas. Methods: The authors conducted a retrospective survival analysis leveraging data from the Texas Cancer Registry. The study included patients aged birth to 19 years who were diagnosed with ALL or AML between 1995 and 2017. Cox proportional hazards models were used to evaluate the factors associated with the risk of death. Overall survival estimates were calculated using Kaplan–Meier methods. Results: During the study period, there were 6002 children diagnosed with ALL and 1279 diagnosed with AML. Inferior 5‐year overall survival was observed among children with ALL living along the border region compared with those living in nonborder areas (77.5% vs. 85.8%). In adjusted models, children with ALL living along the border experienced a 30% increased hazard of death versus children living in nonborder areas. In contrast, for children with AML, survival estimates did not vary by border versus nonborder residence. Conclusions: Living along the border was associated with inferior survival among children with ALL, but not among children with AML. Additional studies are urgently needed to identify the factors driving these disparities to effectively design multilevel interventions and influence state and national cancer control programs. Abstract : The US–Mexico border is a medically underserved region of the United States in which cancer disparities have been observed for adults. In this work, the authors describe survival disparities observed in children diagnosed with leukemia living along the Texas–Mexico border region.