Richer Canadians More Likely to Survive Cancer

Canadian researchers made a survey that included all cancer types diagnosed in Ontario, Canada, from 2003 to 2007. They wanted to find out if the socioeconomic status of patients had any influence or their survival rate.

The team led by Christopher Booth, MD, Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, of the Queen's University Cancer Research Institute in Ontario, analyzed all cases of cancer, including breast, rectal, colon, cervical, non-small cell lung and laryngeal cancer, based on data from the Ontario Cancer Registry.  Researchers divided patients into two groups, according to their average income reported in the 2001 Canadian census.

Scientists found few differences in cancer stage at the time of diagnosis linked to socioeconomic discrepancies. Dr Booth said that “It is plausible that the lack of a strong association between stage of disease and socioeconomic status in our study relates to the presence of universal health coverage in Ontario which may facilitate access to primary care physicians and/or cancer screening.”

After looking at survival rates, scientists concluded that despite universal healthcare, cancer patients from poorer communities have a greater chance of dying prematurely than patients residing in more affluent neighborhoods, even though cancer stage at time of diagnosis is similar for both groups. “Contrary to what has been reported in studies from the US, we have found that stage of cancer at time of diagnosis does not account for any substantial component of the difference in survival across social groups,” Dr. Booth stated.

The factors determining this difference in survival rate might be cancer biology, access to treatment, the presence of other illnesses or quality of care. In order to succeed in decreasing disparities between survival of richer and poorer patients, a better understanding of these factors and a strategy development are necessary.

This research was published online in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, as related by PHYSORG.COM.