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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Women from low-income areas are less likely to receive an early diagnosis of breast cancer and less likely to survive the condition, according to new research. The new study suggests making breast cancer screening and treatment more readily available to low-income areas could help remedy the survival gap.
An analysis of the records of more than 112,500 women diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States between 1998 and 2002 shows socio-economic status (SES) was significantly associated with likelihood of survival.
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"Women living in the lowest SES areas had the lowest percentage of early stage cancer, and the highest percentage of advanced stages, at the time of diagnosis," study author Xue Qin Yu, who conducted the study while employed by the American Cancer Society, was quoted as saying.
The proportion of black women living in the lowest SES areas was nearly four times higher than that of the highest SES areas, and women in the lowest SES areas were significantly less likely to receive first course treatment, Yu added.
Yu said the high number of women with advanced breast cancer can likely be explained by a lower rate mammography. Another possible reason: Researchers know if a woman from a low-income situation receives a mammogram, she is less likely to come in for follow-up after an abnormal test result.
Other factors that may have contributed to the gap that weren't explored in this study include race, access to medical care, and the time gap between surgery and chemotherapy and/or radiation treatment.
Source: BMC Cancer, October 2009
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