open access: Socio-demographic inequalities in stage of cancer diagnosis: evidence from patients with female breast, lung, colon, rectal, prostate, renal, bladder, melanoma, ovarian and endometrial cancer

Socio-demographic inequalities in stage of cancer diagnosis: evidence from patients with female breast, lung, colon, rectal, prostate, renal, bladder, melanoma, ovarian and endometrial cancer

Background
Understanding socio-demographic inequalities in stage at diagnosis can inform priorities for cancer control.

".....The absence of socio-demographic variation in stage at diagnosis of three cancers (colon, rectal and ovarian cancer) should not be interpreted as an indication that patient awareness interventions for those three cancers are not justified. Such interventions are currently being implemented for colorectal cancer [37], while evidence increasingly supports their consideration for ovarian cancer [38]. The findings need to be interpreted in relation to their temporal context (2006–2010). Evidence from breast cancer and melanoma which both benefited from long-standing awareness campaigns indicates that when such interventions are effective [39], they tend to also generate health inequalities (younger and more affluent people typically being able to benefit more so than older and less affluent people) [40]. Avoiding potential inequality that can be generated by future effective patient awareness campaigns about colorectal and ovarian cancer presents a challenge.

In conclusion, for most cancers, there are appreciable socio-demographic inequalities in stage at diagnosis, and this realisation can help motivate and support targeting of interventions on patients at higher risk"