Sociodemographic factors and Child Opportunity Index disparities associated with missed care opportunities in pediatric patients with lymphoma and leukemia referred for FDG-PET/CT

Little data exists on the association of missed care opportunities (MCOs) in children referred for nuclear medicine/nuclear oncology imaging examinations and socioeconomic disparities. To determine the prevalence of MCOs in children with lymphoma/leukemia scheduled for fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) and the impact of sociodemographic factors and Child Opportunity Index (COI). Retrospective analysis of MCOs in children with lymphoma/leukemia scheduled for FDG-PET/CT (2012 to 2022) was performed. In univariate analysis, patient, neighborhood, and appointment data were assessed across MCOs and completed appointments. Logistic regression evaluated independent effects of patient-, neighborhood-, and appointment-level factors with MCOs. Two-sided P-value < .05 was considered statistically significant. In 643 FDG-PET/CT appointments (n = 293 patients; median age 15 years (IQR 11.0–17.0 years); 37.9