Acute Myeloid Leukemia; Disparities in Cancer Outcomes
Mentor Name: Richard Aplenc
Pediatric AML is the second most common pediatric hematologic malignancy and requires very intensive, typically inpatient therapy. Only 60% of pediatric patients with AML will be cured with standard therapy. Pediatric patients from minority racial and ethnic populations have markedly worse event-free and overall survival outcomes than non-Hispanic Whites patients. Disparities in cancer outcomes may derive from differences in disease biology, therapeutic response, or social, financial, or structural barriers to optimal care but the relative contributions of these drivers are not fully appreciated. Thus, the development of interventions or approaches to mitigate these disparities has been limited. Our goal is to use this growing cohort to support ongoing research to address these disparities in a meaningful way.
