The Effect of Socioeconomic Status on Staging and Treatment Decisions in Esophageal Cancer

P Bus, MJ Aarts, Valery Lemmens, MG van Oijen, GJ Creemers, GA Nieuwenhuijzen, JW van Baal, PD (Peter) Siersema

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Abstract

Background: Optimal treatment choice for patients with esophageal cancer (EC) is complex and largely determined by tumor characteristics, comorbidity, and age. Goals: This study describes the role of patient characteristics, among which is socioeconomic status (SES), in EC treatment. Study: Patients diagnosed with primary EC between 1990 and 2008 in the southern part of the Netherlands were identified using the Eindhoven Cancer Registry. Multivariable logistic and proportional hazard regression analyses were used to identify determinants of treatment and survival. Results: We included 1914 patients, and 37% of them underwent intentionally curative treatment. Low-SES patients were diagnosed at older age (16% vs. 9%, age more than or equal to 80) and with more advanced tumor stages (13% vs. 10%, stage T4) than high-SES patients. Age less than 60 compared with 70 to 79 years [adjusted odds ratio, 4.51; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.98-6.84] and high SES compared with low SES (adjusted odds ratio 1.59; 95% CI, 1.07-2.37) were independent predictors for cura Conclusions: SES is an important factor in treatment choice of EC. As health care is equally accessible to the whole population in the Netherlands, this suggests that both patient-related and physician-related factors are involved in this phenomenon.
Original languageUndefined/Unknown
Pages (from-to)833-839
Number of pages7
JournalJournal of Clinical Gastroenterology
Volume46
Issue number10
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2012

Research programs

  • EMC NIHES-02-65-02

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