Individuals residing in communities marked by racial and economic separation face a higher likelihood of receiving late-stage diagnoses for breast and cervical cancers, according to research published July 24 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The study, led by Qinran Liu, Ph.D., M.P.H., from the American Cancer Society in Atlanta, explored how neighborhood-level disparities—measured through the Index of Concentration at Extremes—relate to cancer detection timing across three preventable types in New York City. Data from the New York State Cancer Registry spanning 2008 to 2019 included 98,449 cases: 58,970 breast, 4,790 cervical, and 34,689 colorectal cancers.
Findings revealed that areas with the highest levels of disadvantage and concentration of non-Hispanic Black residents showed significantly elevated ratios of advanced-to-localized stage diagnoses for both breast and cervical cancers when compared to neighborhoods with greater wealth or higher proportions of non-Hispanic White populations. While Hispanic ethnicity alone did not correlate with diagnostic disparities, the combination of economic hardship and Hispanic concentration did reveal gaps in outcomes for the same two cancers. As segregation levels increased across all racial-economic metrics, so did the incidence rate ratios for advanced disease. No such patterns emerged for colorectal cancer.
Liu emphasized that the results can guide public health strategies by pinpointing locations where early detection initiatives are most urgently needed.
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Racialized Economic Segregation Linked to Advanced Cancer Diagnosis
(HealthDay News) — People living in racially and economically segregated neighborhoods are more likely to be diagnosed with advanced-stage breast and cervical cancer, according to a study published online July 24 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. n nQinran Liu, Ph.D., M.P.H., from the American Cancer Society in Atlanta, and colleagues examined the association between neighborhood-level segregation, measured by the neighborhood-Index of Concentration at Extremes, and stage at diagnosis for three screenable cancers in New York City. A total of 98,449 incident cases (58,970 breast, 4,790 cervical, and 34,689 colorectal) were analyzed using data from 2008 to 2019 from the New York State Cancer Registry. n nThe researchers found that compared with the most affluent and/or most non-Hispanic White-concentrated areas, the most deprived and/or non-Hispanic Black-concentrated areas had significantly higher advanced-to-localized stage incidence rate ratios for breast and cervical cancer. No association was seen for Hispanic concentration alone with disparities, but when combined with economic deprivation, disparities were seen in breast and cervical cancer. Increasing incidence rate ratios were seen for all racialized economic-segregation measures, with higher segregation for both cancers. For colorectal cancer, there were no disparities. n n“Our findings have direct implications for cancer prevention and early detection efforts by identifying neighborhoods with the greatest disparities in stage at diagnosis,” Liu said in a statement n nAbstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)