CONCLUSION
Concern over racial and ethnic disparities in QoL following HSCT have
become more prevalent with the discovery of racial disparities in health
outcomes from numerous other fields of medicine, including transplant
medicine.18-21,45-48 In this study, we did not find
significant differences across racial and ethnic groups in QoL scores of
pediatric patients following HSCT after controlling for
transplant-associated variables and determinants of socioeconomic
status. However, patients with malignant conditions were found to have
significantly lower physical and work/school functioning at least two
years post-transplant as compared to patients with non-malignant
conditions. Such findings underscore the need for careful follow-up with
patients undergoing HSCT for malignancy to ensure they can regain
physical and mental health to successfully participate in school or work
in the years post-transplant.