Importance: China is experiencing a sustained increase in childhood cancer. However, whether differences exist in disease burden by ethnicity remains unclear.
Objective: To compare differences in cancer diagnoses and health care utilization in Inner Mongolia among children subgrouped by ethnicity (Han vs Mongolian), sex, and age.
Design, setting, and participants: This retrospective cohort study in Inner Mongolia, China, used data on children aged 0 to 14 years with cancer from the Inner Mongolia Regional Health Information Platform, which comprises the National Basic Medical Insurance database and the Inner Mongolia cause-of-death reporting system, from January 1, 2013, to December 31, 2019. Ethnicities analyzed included Han and Mongolian; patients of other ethnicities were not included in the analysis because of the small sample size. Cancer was broadly defined as a primary malignant tumor or hematologic cancer; benign central nervous system tumors were also included. A 2-year washout period was used to exclude prevalent cases. After diagnosis, the patients were followed up until the date of death or the end of the insured status, whichever came first.
Exposures: Ethnicity (Han vs Mongolian), sex (male vs female), and age (0-4, 5-9, and 10-14 years).
Main outcomes and measures: Crude incidence, 5-year prevalence, and survival rates at 1 year and 3 years after diagnosis; health care utilization, represented by medical costs during the first year and first 3 years after diagnosis; and hospital attendance with level (tertiary vs secondary and lower-level hospitals) and location of each unique visit.
Results: From 2013 to 2019, 1 106 684 (2013), 1 330 242 (2014), 1 763 746 (2015), 2 400 343 (2016), 2 245 963 (2017), 2 901 088 (2018), and 2 996 580 (2019) children aged 0 to 14 years were registered in the NBMI database. Among the 2 996 580 children enrolled in 2019, the mean (SD) age was 6.8 (4.3) years, of whom 1 572 096 (52.5%) were male, 2 572 091 (85.8%) were Han, and 369 400 (12.3%) were Mongolian. A total of 1910 patients with cancer were identified (1048 were male [54.9%]; 1559 were Han [81.6%], and 300 were Mongolian [15.7%]). There were 764 hematologic cancers (40.0%) and 1146 solid tumors (60.0%). The overall crude incidence of cancer from 2015 to 2019 was 129.85 per million children (95% CI, 123.63-136.06), with a higher incidence among Mongolian than among Han children (155.12 [95% CI, 136.81-173.43] vs 134.39 [95% CI, 127.46-141.32]). The 5-year prevalence was 428.97 per million (95% CI, 405.52-452.42) in 2020, with a higher prevalence among Mongolian than among Han children (568.49 [95% CI, 91.62-645.36] vs 404.34 [95% CI, 379.77-428.91]). The combined 1-year (2015-2019) and 3-year (2015-2017) survival rates were 72.5% (95% CI, 67.5%-77.5%) and 66.8% (95% CI, 61.6%-71.9%), respectively. The 1-year (median [IQR], $1991 [$912-$10 181] vs $3991 [$1171-$15 425]) and 3-year (median [IQR], $2704 [$954-$13 909] vs $5375 [$1283-$22 466]) postdiagnosis costs were lower among Mongolian than among Han children. A higher proportion of Mongolian patients attended low-level hospitals (45.9% vs 17.4%).
Conclusions and relevance: In this cohort study, Mongolian children had a higher incidence and prevalence of cancer but a lower demand for medical care, suggesting that further investigations are needed to identify mechanisms underlying ethnic disparities and ensure that care is equitable.