A new, large study led by American Cancer Society (ACS) researchers found that lack of health insurance coverage accounts for a significant proportion of racial and ethnic disparities in advanced-stage diagnosis of multiple cancers. The findings are published today in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute . "Health insurance coverage is a key determinant of access to high-quality health care across the cancer continuum from prevention to early detection, treatment, and survivorship in the United States," said Dr.
Parichoy Pal Choudhury, Principal Scientist, Biostatistics at the American Cancer Society and lead author of the study. "These findings could inform appropriate policies geared towards increasing coverage of health insurance for all populations." For the study, researchers analyzed data from 1.
9 million cancer patients, 18–64 years of age, and diagnosed with one of 10 major cancers between 2013–2019 from the nationwide comprehensive hospital-based National Cancer Database (NCDB). The 10 cancers, which can be detected early through screening, physical examination , or clinical symptoms, included cancers of the breast (female), prostate, colorectum, lung, cervix, head and neck, stomach, urinary bladder, uterus, and skin melanoma. The study analyses showed evidence of mediation of non-Hispanic Black vs.
White disparities in eight cancers (range of proportions mediated: 4.5%–29.1%); Hispanic vs.
non-Hispanic White disparities in six cancers (13.2%–68.8%); .