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. 1998 Nov;88(11):1681–1684. doi: 10.2105/ajph.88.11.1681

Social factors, treatment, and survival in early-stage non-small cell lung cancer.

H P Greenwald 1, N L Polissar 1, E F Borgatta 1, R McCorkle 1, G Goodman 1
PMCID: PMC1508564  PMID: 9807536

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: This study assessed the importance of socioeconomic status, race, and likelihood of receiving surgery in explaining mortality among patients with stage-I non-small cell lung cancer. METHODS: Analyses focused on Black and White individuals 75 years of age and younger (n = 5189) diagnosed between 1980 and 1982 with stage-I non-small cell lung cancer in Detroit, San Francisco, and Seattle. The main outcome measure was months of survival after diagnosis. RESULTS: Patients in the highest income decile were 45% more likely to receive surgical treatment and 102% more likely to attain 5-year survival than those in the lowest decile. Whites were 20% more likely to undergo surgery than Blacks and 31% more likely to survive 5 years. Multivariate procedures controlling for age and sex confirmed these observations. CONCLUSIONS: Socioeconomic status and race appear to independently influence likelihood of survival. Failure to receive surgery explains much excess mortality.

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Selected References

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