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Pedersen LH, Østergaard A, Bank V, Nersting J, Tuckuviene R, Wehner PS, Albertsen BK, Degn M, Als-Nielsen BET, Larsen HB, Schmiegelow K, Dalton SO. Socioeconomic position and maintenance therapy in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia: A national cohort study. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2022; 69:e29508. [PMID: 34931732 DOI: 10.1002/pbc.29508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2021] [Revised: 11/05/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Socioeconomic differences in survival among children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) have been reported in high-income countries and there is an unmet need for strategies to identify vulnerable patient subgroups. Reported differences in survival for children from families with different socioeconomic positions seem to arise when starting maintenance therapy. This could reflect reduced physician's compliance or family adherence to maintenance therapy. METHODS This nationwide cohort study with extensive monitoring of systemic methotrexate (MTX)/6-mercaptopurine (6MP) dosing and metabolite levels, retrospectively investigated 173 Danish children treated according to The Nordic Society for Pediatric Hematology and Oncology ALL2008 protocol from 2008 to 2016. RESULTS Significantly lower prescribed doses of MTX and 6MP were seen in the children in families with short parental education (short vs. medium vs. higher education: mMTX: 13.8, 16.2, and 18.6 mg/m2 /week; p < .01; m6MP: 47.4, 64.9, and 66.1 mg/m2 /day; p = .03) or parents unemployed/not in workforce (unemployed/not in workforce vs. mixed vs. at work: mMTX: 15.0, 19.9, and 17.2 mg/m2 /week; p < .01; m6MP: 54.8, 72.0, and 65.1 mg/m2 /day; p < .01). When assessing family adherence by analyzing MTX and 6MP metabolite levels, including per prescribed dose of MTX and 6MP, we found no significant differences by levels of parental education, affiliation to work market, or income (p > .05 for all comparisons). CONCLUSIONS These results indicate that inferior physician compliance to protocol recommendations on drug dosage rather than families' adherence to therapy may contribute to the association between socioeconomic position and cure rates in childhood ALL, although precise mechanisms remain to be explored.
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Affiliation(s)
- Line Hjøllund Pedersen
- Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Survivorship and Inequality in Cancer, Danish Cancer Society Research Center, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Anna Østergaard
- Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, Netherlands.,Faculty of Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Victoria Bank
- Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jacob Nersting
- Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ruta Tuckuviene
- Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Department of Pediatrics, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark
| | - Peder Skov Wehner
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Hans Christian Andersen Children's Hospital, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
| | - Birgitte Klug Albertsen
- Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.,Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Matilda Degn
- Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Hanne Baekgaard Larsen
- Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Kjeld Schmiegelow
- Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Susanne Oksbjerg Dalton
- Survivorship and Inequality in Cancer, Danish Cancer Society Research Center, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Department of Clinical Oncology & Palliative Care, Zealand University Hospital, Naestved, Denmark
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Skeens MA, Dietrich MS, Ryan-Wenger N, Gilmer MJ, Mulvaney SA, Foster Akard T. Transplantation and Adherence: Evaluating Tacrolimus Usage in Pediatric Patients With Cancer. Clin J Oncol Nurs 2020; 24:E57-E64. [PMID: 32945801 DOI: 10.1188/20.cjon.e57-e64] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Researchers have estimated that about 50% of pediatric patients with chronic illness adhere to tacrolimus therapy, a medication responsible for preventing critical side effects in patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to describe patient adherence to tacrolimus by reviewing documentation from the electronic health record and therapeutic drug levels. METHODS This retrospective descriptive study examined 357 clinic visits by 57 patients undergoing HSCT. Direct (tacrolimus levels) and indirect (subjective reporting) measures were evaluated. FINDINGS The authors found that, in 51% of visits, adherence was not documented. The overall nontherapeutic drug level rate was 60%. Because of the small sample size, nonadherence did not statistically correlate with nontherapeutic levels. The findings highlight the need for adherence awareness, assessment, and documentation in clinical practice.
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