Association of Sociodemographic Factors with Surgical Management of Hepatoblastoma and Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Children.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate for disparities in surgical care among US children with hepatoblastoma (HB) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

STUDY DESIGN: In this retrospective National Cancer Database study (2004-2015), children age <18 years with HB or HCC were included. Multivariable mixed-effects logistic regression was used to evaluate the association of sociodemographic factors (age, sex, race and ethnicity, insurance status, income, proximity to treating hospital) with the odds of undergoing surgical treatment after adjusting for disease-related factors (tumor size, metastasis, comorbidities) and hospital-level effects. Subgroup analyses by tumor histology were performed.

RESULTS: 811 children were included (HB: 80.9%; HCC: 19.1%), of which 610 (75.2%) underwent surgical treatment. Following adjustment, decreased odds of undergoing surgical treatment were associated with Black race (odds ratio [OR]: 0.46 vs White, 95% confidence interval [95%CI]: 0.26-0.80, p=0.01), and having Medicaid (OR: 0.58 vs private, 95%CI: 0.38-0.88, p=0.01) or no insurance (OR: 0.33 vs private, 95%CI: 0.13-0.80, p=0.02). In children with HB, Black race was associated with decreased odds of undergoing surgical treatment (OR: 0.47 vs White, 95%CI: 0.25-0.89, p=0.02). In children with HCC, Medicaid (OR: 0.10 vs private, 95%CI: 0.03-0.35, p<0.001) or no insurance status (OR: 0.10 vs private, 95%CI: 0.01-0.83, p=0.03) were associated with decreased odds of undergoing surgical treatment. Other than metastatic disease, no additional factors were associated with likelihood of surgical treatment in any group.

CONCLUSIONS: Black race and having Medicaid or no insurance are independently associated with decreased odds of surgical treatment in children with HB and HCC, respectively. These children may be less likely to undergo curative surgery for their liver cancer.