https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6856-6367
Key Points
Florida’s high rates of leukemia are influenced by population aging and indicates future needs for leukemia health care in the United States.
Disparities in leukemia mortality exist by race/ethnicity and sociodemographic factors, including rural location and proximity to providers.
Abstract
According to recent data released by the National Cancer Institute, Florida has the highest incidence of adult leukemia in the United States. There is limited population-based research on aging and sociodemographic disparities associated with leukemia in Florida, which can have a national impact on the assessment of leukemia burden. Using geocoded cancer data from the Florida Cancer Data System and population data from the US Census, this study examined socioeconomic and regional disparities associated with leukemia and found that leukemia disparities by race/ethnicity and rurality exist in Florida. The non-Hispanic White population had the highest incidence rates for most subtypes of leukemia, while the non-Hispanic Black population had the highest odds of dying from leukemia. Rural counties and urban neighborhoods with lower socioeconomic status were associated with higher mortality odds for leukemia. Leukemia-treating physician numbers were mismatched in locations where leukemia patients exhibit higher incidence and mortality odds. These results suggest that Florida’s leukemia incidence rate is likely to remain among the highest in the US due to population aging; however, physician shortages may exacerbate disparities and limit care in rural areas. Florida demographically looks like what the entire US population may be in the future and is therefore an indicator of the coming needs in the US for increased leukemia diagnosis, treatment and survivorship care. Larger national and international studies can build on this study by applying our methodology on a larger scale and can also be applied to other hematologic malignancies and other cancer types.
Author notes
These authors contributed equally
Data Availability
Cancer related data are available after obtaining authorization from FCDS. All other data items used were derived from public sources (e.g., US Census) and are available upon request.
