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Photo courtesy of Sylvester
Comprehensive Cancer Center
In a retrospective study, young African American patients with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) had inferior long-term overall survival when compared to their Hispanic and white peers.
Hispanic and white patients had similar rates of overall survival, but Hispanic males had inferior disease-specific survival compared to white males.
The study, published in Pediatric Blood & Cancer, is the largest yet on racial and ethnic disparity in the pediatric HL population in the US.
“Little was known about the association between race, ethnicity, and survival in the pediatric Hodgkin lymphoma population,” said Joseph Panoff, MD, of Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami in Florida.
“Our study showed that African American children and teenagers had worse overall survival than whites and Hispanics at 25 years after diagnosis. We also found that Hispanic males had inferior disease-specific survival compared to white males.”
Dr Panoff and his colleagues analyzed data from more than 7800 patients listed in the Florida Cancer Data System (FCDS) and the National Institutes of Health’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program (SEER).
The patients were 0.1 to 21 years of age (average, 17 years) and were diagnosed with HL from 1981 to 2010.
In the FCDS cohort, which was significantly smaller than the SEER cohort (1778 vs 6027), African Americans had a 33% overall survival rate at 25 years, compared to 44.7% for Hispanics and 49.2% for whites (P=0.0005).
In a multivariate analysis, African American race was associated with inferior overall survival. The hazard ratio was 1.81 (P=0.0003).
Patients in the FCDS cohort had worse overall survival than patients in the SEER cohort, indicating that patients treated in Florida have worse outcomes when compared to the rest of the nation.
In the SEER cohort, the overall survival rate at 25 years was 74.2% for African Americans and 82% for both Hispanic and white patients (P=0.0005). Disease-specific survival rates at 25 years were 85.7% for African Americans, 88.1% for Hispanics, and 90.8% for whites (P=0.0002).
The researchers noted that Hispanic males had inferior disease-specific survival when compared to white males—84.8% and 90.6%, respectively (P=0.0478).
And Hispanic race was a predictor of inferior disease-specific survival in multivariate analysis. The hazard ratio was 1.238 (P<0.0001).
“Clearly, racial and ethnic disparities persist in the pediatric Hodgkin lymphoma population, despite modern treatment, particularly in Florida,” Dr Panoff noted. “The underlying causes of these disparities are complex and need further explanation.”
As a next step, Dr Panoff suggests identifying flaws in the diagnostic and treatment process with regard to African American and Hispanic patients.
“It is important to identify sociocultural factors and health behaviors that negatively affect overall survival in African American patients and disease-free survival in Hispanic males,” he said. “The fact that the entire Florida cohort seems to have worse overall survival than patients in the rest of the country is a new finding that requires further research.” 
Photo courtesy of Sylvester
Comprehensive Cancer Center
In a retrospective study, young African American patients with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) had inferior long-term overall survival when compared to their Hispanic and white peers.
Hispanic and white patients had similar rates of overall survival, but Hispanic males had inferior disease-specific survival compared to white males.
The study, published in Pediatric Blood & Cancer, is the largest yet on racial and ethnic disparity in the pediatric HL population in the US.
“Little was known about the association between race, ethnicity, and survival in the pediatric Hodgkin lymphoma population,” said Joseph Panoff, MD, of Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami in Florida.
“Our study showed that African American children and teenagers had worse overall survival than whites and Hispanics at 25 years after diagnosis. We also found that Hispanic males had inferior disease-specific survival compared to white males.”
Dr Panoff and his colleagues analyzed data from more than 7800 patients listed in the Florida Cancer Data System (FCDS) and the National Institutes of Health’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program (SEER).
The patients were 0.1 to 21 years of age (average, 17 years) and were diagnosed with HL from 1981 to 2010.
In the FCDS cohort, which was significantly smaller than the SEER cohort (1778 vs 6027), African Americans had a 33% overall survival rate at 25 years, compared to 44.7% for Hispanics and 49.2% for whites (P=0.0005).
In a multivariate analysis, African American race was associated with inferior overall survival. The hazard ratio was 1.81 (P=0.0003).
Patients in the FCDS cohort had worse overall survival than patients in the SEER cohort, indicating that patients treated in Florida have worse outcomes when compared to the rest of the nation.
In the SEER cohort, the overall survival rate at 25 years was 74.2% for African Americans and 82% for both Hispanic and white patients (P=0.0005). Disease-specific survival rates at 25 years were 85.7% for African Americans, 88.1% for Hispanics, and 90.8% for whites (P=0.0002).
The researchers noted that Hispanic males had inferior disease-specific survival when compared to white males—84.8% and 90.6%, respectively (P=0.0478).
And Hispanic race was a predictor of inferior disease-specific survival in multivariate analysis. The hazard ratio was 1.238 (P<0.0001).
“Clearly, racial and ethnic disparities persist in the pediatric Hodgkin lymphoma population, despite modern treatment, particularly in Florida,” Dr Panoff noted. “The underlying causes of these disparities are complex and need further explanation.”
As a next step, Dr Panoff suggests identifying flaws in the diagnostic and treatment process with regard to African American and Hispanic patients.
“It is important to identify sociocultural factors and health behaviors that negatively affect overall survival in African American patients and disease-free survival in Hispanic males,” he said. “The fact that the entire Florida cohort seems to have worse overall survival than patients in the rest of the country is a new finding that requires further research.”
Photo courtesy of Sylvester
Comprehensive Cancer Center
In a retrospective study, young African American patients with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) had inferior long-term overall survival when compared to their Hispanic and white peers.
Hispanic and white patients had similar rates of overall survival, but Hispanic males had inferior disease-specific survival compared to white males.
The study, published in Pediatric Blood & Cancer, is the largest yet on racial and ethnic disparity in the pediatric HL population in the US.
“Little was known about the association between race, ethnicity, and survival in the pediatric Hodgkin lymphoma population,” said Joseph Panoff, MD, of Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami in Florida.
“Our study showed that African American children and teenagers had worse overall survival than whites and Hispanics at 25 years after diagnosis. We also found that Hispanic males had inferior disease-specific survival compared to white males.”
Dr Panoff and his colleagues analyzed data from more than 7800 patients listed in the Florida Cancer Data System (FCDS) and the National Institutes of Health’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program (SEER).
The patients were 0.1 to 21 years of age (average, 17 years) and were diagnosed with HL from 1981 to 2010.
In the FCDS cohort, which was significantly smaller than the SEER cohort (1778 vs 6027), African Americans had a 33% overall survival rate at 25 years, compared to 44.7% for Hispanics and 49.2% for whites (P=0.0005).
In a multivariate analysis, African American race was associated with inferior overall survival. The hazard ratio was 1.81 (P=0.0003).
Patients in the FCDS cohort had worse overall survival than patients in the SEER cohort, indicating that patients treated in Florida have worse outcomes when compared to the rest of the nation.
In the SEER cohort, the overall survival rate at 25 years was 74.2% for African Americans and 82% for both Hispanic and white patients (P=0.0005). Disease-specific survival rates at 25 years were 85.7% for African Americans, 88.1% for Hispanics, and 90.8% for whites (P=0.0002).
The researchers noted that Hispanic males had inferior disease-specific survival when compared to white males—84.8% and 90.6%, respectively (P=0.0478).
And Hispanic race was a predictor of inferior disease-specific survival in multivariate analysis. The hazard ratio was 1.238 (P<0.0001).
“Clearly, racial and ethnic disparities persist in the pediatric Hodgkin lymphoma population, despite modern treatment, particularly in Florida,” Dr Panoff noted. “The underlying causes of these disparities are complex and need further explanation.”
As a next step, Dr Panoff suggests identifying flaws in the diagnostic and treatment process with regard to African American and Hispanic patients.
“It is important to identify sociocultural factors and health behaviors that negatively affect overall survival in African American patients and disease-free survival in Hispanic males,” he said. “The fact that the entire Florida cohort seems to have worse overall survival than patients in the rest of the country is a new finding that requires further research.”