Social Vulnerability Tied to Worse Pediatric Head and Neck Cancer Outcomes
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 22, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Among pediatric patients with head and neck cancers (HNCs), increasing social vulnerability is associated with significant decreases in receipt of care and survival time, according to a study published online Feb. 17 in JAMA Network Open.
David J. Fei-Zhang, from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, and colleagues assessed whether 15 social determinants of health (SDoH) are associated with pediatric head and neck cancer (HNC) disparities. The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program database (1975 to 2017) was used to identify 37,043 patients (aged 19 years and younger) with pediatric HNC.
The researchers found that increasing social vulnerability was associated with decreases in months under surveillance, ranging from 23.9 percent for malignant melanomas for lowest versus highest vulnerability to 41.9 percent for non-Hodgkin lymphomas. Findings were similar when examining socioeconomic status, housing and transportation, and minority and language status. A similar trend was seen for lower mean survival time, ranging from 11.3 percent for ependymomas and choroid plexus tumors to 61.4 percent for gliomas not otherwise specified for lowest versus highest vulnerability. Minority and language status, socioeconomic status, household composition, and housing and transportation were significantly associated with decreased survival.
"Our results not only confirm anecdotal understandings of SDoH in pediatric HNC but also further explore the complex interactions across a multitude of SDoH through establishing an integrative measure applicable to patients from all U.S. regions with differing sociodemographic and contextual influences," the authors write.
Related Posts
¿Podrían los plásticos comunes ayudar a que usted engorde?
LUNES, 31 de enero de 2022 (HealthDay News) -- ¿Esa botella plástica de agua...
Autism Diagnosed at 12 to 36 Months Does Not Always Persist
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 18, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- More than one-third of children...
Four Distinct Profiles Can ID Risk for Pediatric Self-Harm Events
MONDAY, May 1, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Four distinct profiles of psychiatric...
Warning Labels on High-Powered Magnets Unlikely to Prevent Child Injuries
MONDAY, Oct. 3, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Parents of children with high-powered...