Abstract

REYES-LOPEZ, Alfonso et al. Prognostic factors for survival in pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia affiliated with the Seguro Popular insurance program. Bol. Med. Hosp. Infant. Mex. [online]. 2012, vol.69, n.3, pp.197-204. ISSN 1665-1146.

Introduction. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common malignancy in children <15 years of age. Prognostic factors for survival have been identified such as age at diagnosis, sex, translocation of genes and nutritional status, among others. The aim of this study was to evaluate some of these factors in pediatric patients with ALL affiliated with the Seguro Popular insurance program with an emphasis on socioeconomic factors. Methods. This is a retrospective study based on the review of 391 clinical charts from nine hospitals accredited by the Seguro Popular insurance program with different survival rates. Descriptive and survival Kaplan-Meier analyses were performed with the statistical program SPSS v.18.0. Results. Less than half (41.7%) of the patients were treated at tertiary-care level hospitals with a 4-year survival rate at follow-up of 82%, whereas for secondary-care level hospitals the survival rate was 55%. Results show that household and parental characteristics were predictive of survival, in particular those with higher educational level, support networks and the number of family providers. Conclusions. Several factors are involved in the prognosis of ALL patients. Maternal factors improve survival, but these need to be thoroughly examined.

Keywords : acute lymphoblastic leukemia; prognosis; Seguro Popular..

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