A new study from the University of Minnesota Medical School and the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research has revealed a concerning link between a bone marrow donor’s socioeconomic status and the survival rates of transplant recipients. The research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that cancer patients who received bone marrow from donors living in areas with lower socioeconomic status were 6.6% more likely to die within three years of the transplant.
The study examined 2,005 cancer patients who received bone marrow transplants between 2000 and 2013. Recipients of cells from donors in the highest socioeconomic quartile had a 10% survival advantage compared to those who received transplants from the lowest quartile. Dr. Lucie Turcotte, one of the primary investigators, emphasized that this effect persisted even when adjusting for factors such as treatment center, insurance status, race, ethnicity, and disease characteristics.
The researchers used donor ZIP codes to determine socioeconomic status, considering factors like median household income, poverty rates, unemployment, education levels, and housing. Dr. Jennifer Knight, another lead investigator, noted that the overall living environment of a community appears more important than individual income or address.
These findings have significant implications for understanding health disparities. Ann Nyakundi, executive director of Minnesota Community Health Workers Alliance, pointed out that “at that cellular level, we carry with us disparities in society that we can’t escape.” The study’s broader impact on public health and policy is expected to spark further investigations into the biological effects of social disadvantage on health outcomes.
See “‘Inheriting disparities’: Bone marrow donor’s community affects recipient health after transplant” (August 1, 2024)
