A new study finds that education and income are associated with what stage a patient will have
Scientists said that patients with lowerincome and education levels, and those who live in regions with more limited socioeconomic resources have a disproportionately poor survival rate for lung cancer. Racial/ethnic minorities in the US also face higher death rates from lung cancer.
The researchers analyzed the data for2004-2016 about patients aged 18-89 who were diagnosed with any stage of lung cancer. The researchers also collected information about the level of education and income in the areas where the patients lived.
People living in areas with the lowest levelseducation and in the lowest-income areas, the chances of finding lung cancer only at an advanced stage were 12% and 13% higher, respectively. "Our results confirm that poverty is a major contributor to poor outcomes in lung cancer," the researchers said.