Acute lymphoblastic leukemia mortality in Hispanic Americans

Abstract

Higher incidence and poorer outcomes of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in Hispanic Americans have been attributed to high-risk molecular markers associated with Native American (NA) ancestry. However, the diverse Hispanic populations in the United States differ substantially in ancestry. Continental Hispanics have a high proportion of NA ancestry while Caribbean Hispanics have a lower proportion of NA ancestry. Here, we analyzed mortality data of 2428 children and adults with ALL. Mortality rates were age-adjusted and compared by race and ethnicity using negative binomial regression with particular attention to distinct Hispanic populations. While both Continental (mortality rate ratio (MRR) 2.09, 95% CI 1.82–2.39) and Caribbean (MRR 1.27, 95% CI 1.05–1.54) Hispanics had higher mortality rates than other racial and ethnic groups, Continental Hispanics had significantly higher mortality rates than Caribbean Hispanics. This is the first study to demonstrate a clear difference in ALL mortality by Hispanic group on a population basis.

Keywords:

• Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)
• epidemiology
• mortality
• Hispanic
• ancestry

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The tabulated data for the pooled three states that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author [JS]. Individual level data that support the findings of this study are available from the Florida Department of Vital Statistics, Department of Public Health in California, and the Departments of Health in New York. Restrictions apply to the availability of these data, which were used under license for this study. Data are available from the authors with the permission of Florida Department of Vital Statistics, Department of Public Health in California, and the Departments of Health in New York.