Treating pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia at a low-volume center does not appear to be linked with increased mortality or ICU care in the first portion of therapy, according to a retrospective cohort study involving 3,350 individuals from 75 hospitals.

Participants—who ranged between 0 and 18 years of age—were from either the Pediatric Health Information System or Perspective Premier Database. Investigators looked at how average inpatient pediatric and pediatric oncology volume impacted mortality; they also evaluated the need for ICU care. Among the results:

• The overall inpatient mortality rate was 0.86%.

• Unadjusted analysis showed that the mortality increased as pediatric oncology volume increased, from a low of 0 to a high of 1.3%.

• Volume was not linked with ICU care even after controlling for potential confounders.

Citation: Wilkes J, Hennessy S, Xiao R, et al. Volume–Outcome relationships in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia: Association between hospital pediatric and pediatric oncology volume with mortality and intensive care resources during initial therapy. Clin Lymphoma Myeloma Leuk. 2016;16(7):404-410.e1. doi:10.1016/j.clml.2016.04.016.