Socioeconomic status predicts survival of Canadian cancer patients

A recent Canadian study reveals that cancer survival rates are less related to stage of disease at diagnosis. Instead, in a country with universal health care, disparities in survival rates between patients may be related to access to care and quality of cancer care.

..."researchers found that despite universal healthcare, significant differences in survival across socioeconomic groups persist in Ontario: overall and cancer-specific survival of patients from poorer communities was lower than that of patients residing in more affluent neighborhoods. "Contrary to what has been reported in studies from the U.S., 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," said Dr. Booth. Instead, factors such as differences in cancer biology, the presence of other illnesses, access to treatment, and quality of care might play a role."

Socioeconomic status predicts survival of Canadian cancer patients