Inequalities in access to treatment for colorectal cancer patients
Dr Bernard Rachet and Libby Ellis
Collaboration with Dr Franco Sassi, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and Dr Catherine Lejeune, Faculté de Médecine, Dijon, France
Evidence has shown that individuals belonging to more affluent socio-economic groups have better survival from a wide range of cancers. Despite advances in diagnosis and treatment, colorectal cancer remains a serious disease with poor survival at five-years. A 3-5% difference in five-year survival between the most affluent and most deprived populations in the UK has been shown. Access to healthcare could be a possible explanation for the observed inequalities in survival, but evidence for a relationship between access to healthcare and survival is limited.
This study, in collaboration with Dr Franco Sassi at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and Dr Catherine Lejeune at the Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), aims to explore socio-economic inequalities in access to treatment of colorectal cancer and its effect on survival.
The study includes data on all patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer between 1997 and 2002 who were resident in the areas covered by three Regional Cancer Registries in England. The primary outcome measure is 1-year relative survival.
