Osong Public Health Res Perspect.  2017 Aug;8(4):264-270. 10.24171/j.phrp.2017.8.4.06.

Influence of Socioeconomic Status, Comorbidity, and Disability on Late-stage Cancer Diagnosis

Affiliations
  • 1College of Medicine/Graduate Scool of Health Science Business Convergence, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Korea. jonghyock@gmail.com
  • 2Big Data Steering Department, National Health Insurance Service, Wonju, Korea.
  • 3Chungbuk Regional Cardiocerebrovascular Center, Chungbuk National University Hospital, Cheongju, Korea.
  • 4Cancer Policy Branch, National Cancer Control Research Institute, National Cancer Center, Goyang, Korea.
  • 5Department of Family Medicine and Supportive Care Center, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.

Abstract


OBJECTIVES
Understanding factors affecting advanced stage at diagnosis is vital to improve cancer outcomes and overall survival. We investigated the factors affecting later-stage cancer diagnosis.
METHODS
Patients completed self-reported questionnaires. We collected cancer stage data from medical records review. Logistic regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with later stage cancer at diagnosis by gender.
RESULTS
In total, 1,870 cancer patients were included in the study; 55.8% were men, 31.1% had more than one comorbid condition, and 63.5% had disabilities. About half of the patients were smokers, and drank alcohol, and 58.0% were diagnosed at an advanced stage. By cancer type, lung and liver cancers (both genders), prostate (men), colorectal, cervical, and thyroid cancer (women) were more likely to be diagnosed at a later stage. After controlling for socioeconomic factors, comorbidity (odds ratio [OR], 1.48 in men) and disability (OR, 1.64 in men and 1.52 in women) remained significantly associated with late-stage diagnosis.
CONCLUSION
In this nationwide study, using combined information from patients and medical records, we found that male patients with comorbidities or disabilities, and female patients with disabilities were more likely to have advanced stage cancer at diagnosis. Targeted approaches by cancer type and health conditions are recommended.

Keyword

neoplasms; diagnosis; stage; early detection of cancer

MeSH Terms

Comorbidity*
Diagnosis*
Early Detection of Cancer
Female
Humans
Liver Neoplasms
Logistic Models
Lung
Male
Medical Records
Prostate
Social Class*
Socioeconomic Factors
Thyroid Neoplasms
Full Text Links
  • OPHRP
Actions
Cited
CITED
export Copy
Close
Share
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
Similar articles
Copyright © 2024 by Korean Association of Medical Journal Editors. All rights reserved.     E-mail: koreamed@kamje.or.kr