Poor people are less likely to survive cancer than those who are better off. This is the sad conclusion of a study by researchers at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario.
Experts examined the recorded cases of six different cancers between 2003 and 2006. They noticed a large gap in colorectal and cervical cancer survival rates between the rich and poor.
A previous American study explained this inequality by the fact that poorer people received a diagnosis at more advanced stages of their illness. However, the Ontario team observed that it is not the case. According to their study, patients were diagnosed at the same rate, regardless of social class.
Poorer people might be at a disadvantage because they often suffer from other diseases that can hinder treatment. There is also the issue of expensive drug treatments that are out of the reach of poorer citizens who need them.
Take breast cancer, for example; 77% of poor women were still alive after five years whereas the rate was 84% among richer women. The survival rate for colorectal cancer was 52% for the poor and 60% among the wealthiest.