Impact of race and ethnicity on presentation and outcomes of patients treated on rhabdomyosarcoma clinical trials: A report from the Children’s Oncology Group

Munnikhuysen SR, Ekpo PA, Xue W, Gao Z, Lupo PJ, Venkatramani R, Heske CM. Impact of race and ethnicity on presentation and outcomes of patients treated on rhabdomyosarcoma clinical trials: A report from the Children’s Oncology Group. Cancer Med. 2023 Jun;12(11):12777-12791. doi: 10.1002/cam4.5921. Epub 2023 Apr 20. PubMed PMID: 37081771; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC10278507.

Racial and ethnic disparities have been demonstrated in pediatric and adult cancers. However, there is no consensus on whether such disparities exist in the presentation, treatment, and outcome of patients with rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS). Patient information from the seven most recent RMS clinical trials was obtained from the Children’s Oncology Group (COG). Chi‐squared analyses were used to compare patient, tumor, and treatment characteristics across racial and ethnic groups. Pairwise analyses comparing Non‐Hispanic Black (NHB) versus Non‐Hispanic White (NHW) racial groups and Hispanic versus NHW ethnic groups were conducted for significant characteristics. Kaplan–Meier method and Wilcoxon signed‐rank tests were performed to analyze outcomes.