How Socioeconomic Disparities Affect Outcomes Among Burkitt Lymphoma Patients

Burkitt lymphoma is an aggressive form of non-Hodgkin B-cell lymphoma, which can be fatal if left untreated. Prognosis typically depends on the histologic features and stage of the disease, but it’s uncertain what kind of impact race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic factors can have on survival outcomes among patients with Burkitt lymphoma.

So to find out, researchers used the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) 18 Registry to gain data on 3,578 patients who were diagnosed with Burkitt lymphoma between 2007 and 2019. 60.8 percent were Non-Hispanic Whites, 19.5 percent were Hispanics, 9.6 percent were Non-Hispanic Blacks, 8.9 percent were Non-Hispanic Asian, and 1.4 percent were of other races and ethnicities.

To assess the impact of patients’ race, ethnicity, age, sex, annual median income, disease stage at presentation, and treatment modalities on overall patient survival, researchers used the cox regression model. They also used the structural equation model to evaluate if/how race, ethnicity, income, and sex contribute to disparities in survival.

Based on these two models, researchers found that increasing age and racial status were predictors of worse survival while receiving chemotherapy, receiving radiation therapy, and having an annual income above $60,000 were all factors associated with better survival.

Non-Hispanic Blacks had the worst one- and five-year survival rates compared with all other races and ethnicities at 94.8 percent and 81.8 percent, respectively. Researchers stated that this reduced survival could be partially due to lower income and reduced access to treatment modalities. No survival disparities were found between sexes, however.

Based on these results, researchers conclude that socioeconomic factors and access to treatment have a direct impact on outcomes among patients with Burkitt lymphoma.