Low-Income Women Less Likely To Survive Breast Cancer

Miami, FL (AHN) – Low-income women with breast cancer in the United States are less likely to get a timely diagnosis and have lower survival rates than wealthier patients as a result, according to a new American Cancer Society study.

The researchers said in a statement that targeted intervention programs to increase breast cancer screenings and treatment coverage for poorer patients could help narrow the socioeconomic gap.

The American Cancer Society studied the records of 112,000 women diagnosed with the disease in the United States between 1998 and 2002. The women were followed up until the end of 2005. The researchers said they found a significant link between socioeconomic status and survival.

Researcher Xue Qin Yu said in a statement that women living in the poorest areas of the country had the lowest percentage of early-stage cancer and the highest percentage of advanced-stage cancer at the time of their diagnoses.

Black women were particularly affected, Yu said.

The study is published in the journal BioMed Central Cancer.

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