No, we are not all equal in the face of cancer

According to a study published by researchers at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), an agency of the World Health Organization (WHO), socio-economic inequalities have an impact on cancer mortality. The results published in the journal The Regional Health LancetMonday, November 28, were obtained by comparing the number of cancer deaths with socio-economic position, here based on educational attainment. The study was carried out in 18 countries in Europe, between 1990 and 2015, and on the population aged 40-79, a sample representing 70% of all cancer deaths in Europe.

Growing inequality

“Less educated people consistently suffer from higher death rates from almost all types of cancer, than their more educated counterparts”, say the IARC researchers. In particular, cancer deaths associated with educational inequalities affect, across the 18 European countries studied, about 32% of men and 16% of women. “Even the Nordic countries, which have a long tradition of equitable welfare and social justice policies, are experiencing growing inequalities in cancer among women”says the study.

In detail, the study shows in particular that theLess educated men are more than twice as likely to die of lung cancer as those with more education. Women from disadvantaged backgrounds are three times more likely than others to die from cervical cancer. Only breast cancer is an exception. In some countries, women with a higher level of education are also at a higher risk of dying from this cancer. But the trend would tend to reverse.

The factors of these inequalities

To explain these inequalities, the researchers proposed several parameters. Among these, individual and collective behaviors, habits and social interactions related to exposure to cancer risk factors, but also access to early diagnosis, screening programs and effective treatments.

“These factors are largely determined by society, depending on how it is structured and how health services are organized and delivered,” says the study. According to the Foundation for Cancer Research (ARC), cancer is the leading cause of premature death in France. In 2018, the National Cancer Institute (INCa) estimated the number of new cancer cases in mainland France at 382,000.204,600 in men and 177,400 in women.

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