Race/Ethnicity and Socioeconomic Status in Pediatric Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation for Non-Malignant Conditions

Introduction Survival disparities by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status (SES) have been observed in a wide range of pediatric treatment settings. Few studies have examined the effects of ethnicity and SES in pediatric allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (alloHCT). Objectives We explored whether survival differed by ethnicity or SES in children receiving alloHCT for non-malignant conditions at a single institution serving a diverse patient population. Methods The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate overall survival (OS) with the logrank test for between-group comparisons. Cox proportional hazards models were used for adjusted analyses of OS. Results Of 133 subjects from Conclusion Our findings suggest that in patients undergoing alloHCT for non-malignant conditions, treatment at a tertiary care center with a multidisciplinary approach may mitigate the health disparities seen in other treatment settings. Future research should include larger multicenter studies investigating the complex interrelationships among race/ethnicity, SES, and clinical outcomes in this understudied patient population. Occurrence of aGVHD was the only factor associated with inferior OS, emphasizing a need for better prevention and treatment strategies in children with non-malignant diseases.