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HHIC : Pediatric cancer

Pediatric Hospital Stays for Cancer --Hawaii

Why important?

The National Cancer Institute reports that over the past 30 years, childhood cancer survival has increased from 30 percent to 80 percent.¹ As more children are living with cancer, the need for ongoing medical care for their conditions is evident. While pediatric cancer care increasingly is administered on an outpatient bases, a significant amount of care still requires hospitalization. In 2006, cancers were responsible for over 400 hospital stays in Hawaii for children and adolescents (totaling $115 million in hospital charges).²

Risk factors
While childhood cancers may originate from environmental factors, many cases are caused by unpredictable genetic errors, making prevention difficult.

How is Hawaii doing?
Between 2000 and 2006, the number of pediatric stays principally for cancer decreased in Hawaii 36 percent, while cancer stays increased over 80 percent nationally. The two most common pediatric cancers that required hospitalization in 2006 were leukemia and brain tumors--accounting for over 50 percent of all pediatric cancer stays. Hospitalizations for cancer were more frequent in older children and male children. Private insurance was billed for the largest portion of hospital stays that were principally for pediatric cancer care (47 percent) and Medicaid/Quest for another 38 percent of these stays. Compared to the typical pediatric stay, the average stay for cancer care was more than twice as expensive ($88,300 versus $11,075 per stay) and about 6.5 days longer than a typical stay (10.1 versus 3.6 days).

West Hawaii, Kahuku (Oahu) and Honolulu have the highest rates for pediatric stays for cancer (40-55 hospitalizations per 100,000 population). Maui and North Hawaii have the lowest rates (less than 20 stays per 100,000 population).

Other views
• By area
• By year
• By age
• By payer
• By race

Data notes
ICD9 codes: 1400 - 20891

Source of data
Hawaii – HHIC Online Reports, Inpatient Database.

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¹Young People with Cancer: A Handbook for Parents (2001). National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute. Bethesda, MD.
²Based on total hospital charges.