The Impact of Socioeconomic Factors on Cancer Survival Rate

The socioeconomic status as a major determinant of health status has a considerable impact on the cancer survival rate. The present study aimed to investigate the impact of socioeconomic factors on the 5-year survival rate for the most common cancer types in 56 countries.

In this ecological study, 5-year survival data for gastric cancer, colon cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, cervical cancer, ovarian cancer, prostate cancer, and leukemia during the period of 2005-2009 and socioeconomic factors including gross domestic product (GDP), life expectancy, literacy rate, urbanization and healthcare expenditure were extracted from the CONCORD-2 study and the World Bank database, respectively. Multivariable regression analysis was used to estimate the model with the ordinary least-squares (OLS) method using Stata 14 software.

The GDP coefficient for breast cancer, cervical cancer, and leukemia was positive and significant. No correlation was identified between gastric, colon, lung, ovarian, and prostate cancers with GDP. Gastric, colon, breast, and prostate cancers had a positive and significant correlation with life expectancy, while no significant correlation was found between lung cancer, cervical cancer, ovarian cancer, and leukemia with life expectancy. There was no correlation between cancer survival rate and literacy rate, or urbanization. There was only a positive correlation between prostate cancer with healthcare expenditure. Furthermore, there was no statistically significant relationship between gastric and ovarian cancers with socioeconomic variables. Finally, GDP and life expectancy had the most significant impact on cancer survival rates.

Different countries can play a key role in increasing cancer survival rates by implementing policies to improve economic and social factors.