Influence of Socioeconomic Status on Event-Free Survival in Children Diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Location
Hager-Lubbers Exhibition Hall
Description
PURPOSE: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common type of cancer in children. However, little is known about how socioeconomic status (SES) influences the outcomes of children diagnosed with ALL. The goal of the study is to understand how SES impacts the outcomes of children diagnosed with ALL, with a particular interest in children living in West Michigan. SUBJECTS: Children ages 0-14 years who received treatment for ALL at a large hospital in West Michigan between the years 2002-2011 were considered for this study. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Eligible participant’s zip codes and dates of relapse/death were obtained through retrospective chart reviews to investigate the association of interest. Zip codes were utilized to create neighborhood SES scores based on census data related to education, occupation, and household income. Time to relapse/death was determined to calculate five-year event-free survival. ANALYSES: Differences in survival across socioeconomic quintiles were evaluated using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, with Cox-proportional hazard regression conducted to describe the association between all collected variables. RESULTS: It is hypothesized that there will be difference in survival between each of the levels of socioeconomic status studied, with children of lower socioeconomic standing having worse outcomes compared to children of higher socioeconomic standing. CONCLUSIONS: Previous research has shown that those of higher SES tend to have better overall health and better health outcomes, compared to those of lower SES. If differences in survival are noted within the West Michigan population studied, improvements in pediatric leukemia care can be created across all SES levels.
Influence of Socioeconomic Status on Event-Free Survival in Children Diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Hager-Lubbers Exhibition Hall
PURPOSE: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common type of cancer in children. However, little is known about how socioeconomic status (SES) influences the outcomes of children diagnosed with ALL. The goal of the study is to understand how SES impacts the outcomes of children diagnosed with ALL, with a particular interest in children living in West Michigan. SUBJECTS: Children ages 0-14 years who received treatment for ALL at a large hospital in West Michigan between the years 2002-2011 were considered for this study. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Eligible participant’s zip codes and dates of relapse/death were obtained through retrospective chart reviews to investigate the association of interest. Zip codes were utilized to create neighborhood SES scores based on census data related to education, occupation, and household income. Time to relapse/death was determined to calculate five-year event-free survival. ANALYSES: Differences in survival across socioeconomic quintiles were evaluated using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, with Cox-proportional hazard regression conducted to describe the association between all collected variables. RESULTS: It is hypothesized that there will be difference in survival between each of the levels of socioeconomic status studied, with children of lower socioeconomic standing having worse outcomes compared to children of higher socioeconomic standing. CONCLUSIONS: Previous research has shown that those of higher SES tend to have better overall health and better health outcomes, compared to those of lower SES. If differences in survival are noted within the West Michigan population studied, improvements in pediatric leukemia care can be created across all SES levels.