Childhood Cancer Incidence in Georgia: Descriptive Epidemiology, Geographic Trends, and Disparities in Insurance Coverage, and Health Care Access

Background: Limited research has been conducted concerning childhood cancer (CC) incidence in Georgia, which is a leading cause of death for children in the US. The purpose of this study was to determine if county-level CC incidence rates differed by geography or race and if health care access disparities exist. Methods: Incidence data were obtained from the Georgia Comprehensive Cancer Registry for 2000-2011. Age-adjusted incidence rates per 100,000 were analyzed by sex, race, and county. Hotspots and coldspots of CC incidence were analyzed using the Getis-Ord GI* statistic. Health care access data for children under 19 were obtained using US Census Bureau’s Small Area Health Insurance Estimates for 2011. Georgia’s three children’s oncology group (COG) treatment facilities with 40-mile buffer zones were geographically overlaid with CC incidence rate maps and health insurance maps using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Results: For leukemia and central nervous system cancers, incidence rates were significantly different between Whites [7.8, 95% confidence interval (CI) (7.4, 8.2)] and Blacks [5.2, 95% CI (4.8, 5.6)]. Statistical hotspots of CC were observed in north Georgia. A lower percentage of insurance coverage among children was observed in southeast GA. Approximately 25% of Georgia counties that were not within a COG buffer had a higher percentage of children who were uninsured (mean ± SD: 10.28% ±1.86%). Conclusion: Higher CC incidence rates and disparities in access to care were evident in north Georgia. Future research is needed in these geographies to investigate potential risk factors associated with CC incidence patterns and racial differences in Georgia