Genetic Engineering in the Press by GEG

Social determinants of health influence the outcomes of many diseases, and pediatric cancer is no exception. In fact, children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) living in poverty are much more likely to relapse and die from their disease than those from more wealthier backgrounds. So researchers studied the outcomes of 206 children and young adults, with a median age of 12.5 years with reduced/refractory ALL treated in one of five clinical trials of CD19-directed CAR-T cells. They collected data from CAR T-cell clinical trial datasets and electronic medical records of patients treated between April 2012 and December 2020. The researchers then sorted patients by exposure to socioeconomic and neighborhood opportunities, which they determined using patients' insurance types and addresses. Children with public insurance plans were considered exposed to household poverty, in contrast to those with private insurance. Results revealed no significant difference in overall survival or complete remission rates between patients exposed to household poverty from households with lower neighborhood opportunities and those from more advantaged households. Thus, this study demonstrates the need to make this therapy more accessible.