Income Impacts Cancer Care
Reported September 29, 2009
(Ivanhoe Newswire) — A new study suggests that the more money you have, the better chances you have to survive prostate cancer.
According to a new Swiss study, conducted by Elisabetta Rapiti, M.C., M.P.H., of the University of Geneva, and her colleagues, prostate cancer patients who have low socioeconomic status are more likely to receive worse health care and have higher chances of death compared to wealthier patients.
The researchers studied 2,738 patients classified as having high, medium or low socioeconomic status. The study included all residents that were diagnosed with prostate cancer between 1995 and 2005 in Switzerland, one of the world’s leaders in health care and life expectancy rates.
Researchers also found that those patients with low socioeconomic status had more developed stages of cancer, had fewer tests to diagnose the cancer, and were less likely to have their cancer detected by screenings. The most dangerous link between low socioeconomic status and prostate cancer is the risk of dying from the cancer, which doubled for those poorer patients.
“The increased mortality risk of patients of low socioeconomic status is almost completely explained by delayed diagnosis, poor work-up, and less complete treatment,” Rapiti was quoted as saying.
SOURCE: Cancer, 2009
