14 DAY TRIAL // A new research, published in the May 15th issue of the American Cancer Society's peer-reviewed journal CANCER, shows that inhabitants of major cities are far more likely to develop late-stage cancers, and to subsequently die because of them, than those living in suburban areas or in the countryside. The results are in tune with those of previous studies, and highlight the importance of health authorities devising new screening and awareness programs for these areas. If caught early, cancer can be dealt with with much more chances of success than if the disease has already metastasized when the patient comes in for a check-up.
In addition, the paper has found, people with low incomes are far more likely to be diagnosed with late-stage cancer than richer ones. For the new investigation, University of Illinois expert Sara L. McLafferty, PhD, together with Louisiana State University researcher Fahui Wang, PhD, looked at data for the state of Illinois that were part of the Illinois State Cancer Registry, and spanning four years, between 1998 and 2002. According to the team, they selected this state over any others because it had both highly populated areas such as the city of Chicago, and remote rural settlements as well, e! Science News reports.
In their efforts, the two analyzed data for four of the main types of cancer (breast, prostate, lung and colorectal), and cross-referenced results they got for metropolitan areas with those obtained in the countryside. The results revealed that, for all types of cancer, risks were maximum in the highly urbanized area of Chicago, and that it decreased significantly as the experts looked over data recorded in suburban areas, or in small, remote communities. For the Chicago metropolitan area, the team determined that populations most at risk included the homeless, the poor, as well as the African American and Hispanic communities.
“The concentration of health disadvantage in highly urbanized places emphasizes the need for more extensive urban-based cancer screening and education programs, especially programs targeted to the most vulnerable urban populations and neighborhoods,” the authors write in their study. The team have also concluded that factors such as age and race do not affect the incidence of the disease in the general population, and infer that other factors, such as awareness and prevention programs, must be responsible for the discovered disparities.