Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
1
pubmed:dateCreated
2008-12-8
pubmed:abstractText
Epidemiologic studies have shown that cancer survival is poorer in low compared with high socioeconomic groups. We investigated whether these differences were associated with disparities in tumour characteristics and management. This cohort study was based on 9,908 women aged 20-79 years at diagnosis with primary breast cancer identified in a Swedish population-based clinical register. Information on socioeconomic standing was obtained from a social database. The 5-year cause-specific survival (CSS) and mortality hazard ratios (HR) were estimated by Cox proportional hazard models to assess differences in survival between socioeconomic groups while adjusting for diagnostic intensity, tumour characteristics and treatment. Following adjustment for age, year and stage at diagnosis, the risk of dying of breast cancer was 35% lower among women with high education compared with that of low education (HR = 0.65, 95% CI 0.53-0.80). When compared with women with high education, a lower percentage of women with low education had been investigated for proliferation (84 vs. 76%) or hormone receptor status (89 vs. 81%), had tumours <or=20 mm (68 vs. 64%), were treated at a main hospital (75 vs. 68%) and had received radiation treatment (80 vs. 67%) or chemotherapy (31 vs. 18%). However, these proportional differences could not explain the observed social gradient in survival. To minimize social differences in breast cancer survival, further research should address not only factors leading to inequities in management but also focus on patient factors such as health awareness, comorbidity burden and compliance to adjuvant treatment.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Jan
pubmed:issn
1097-0215
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Electronic
pubmed:day
1
pubmed:volume
124
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
180-7
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2009
pubmed:articleTitle
Social differences in breast cancer survival in relation to patient management within a National Health Care System (Sweden).
pubmed:affiliation
Department of Surgery, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden. sonja.eaker@surgsci.uu.se
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't