Residing in Poverty Tied to Worse Breast Cancer Outcomes
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
FRIDAY, Aug. 30, 2024 -- Women residing in persistently impoverished neighborhoods have worse breast cancer outcomes, according to a study published online Aug. 29 in JAMA Network Open.
J.C. Chen, M.D., from The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and James Cancer Hospital in Columbus, and colleagues examined persistent neighborhood poverty and breast tumor characteristics, surgical treatment, and mortality. The analysis included 312,145 women (aged 18 years and older) diagnosed with stage I to III breast cancer from 2010 through 2018.
The researchers found that 6.4 percent of women lived in a census tract with persistent poverty, which was associated with a greater likelihood to present with more aggressive tumor characteristics, including higher-grade disease, triple-negative breast cancer, and advanced stage. More patients residing in areas with persistent poverty underwent mastectomy and axillary lymph node dissection. Higher risks for breast cancer-specific and all-cause mortality were seen with living in persistent poverty (adjusted hazard ratios, 1.10 and 1.13, respectively). Mortality risks diverged for both breast cancer-specific and all-cause mortality as early as three years after diagnosis (rate ratios, 1.80 and 1.62, respectively).
"Living in neighborhoods characterized by persistent poverty had implications on tumor characteristics, surgical management, and mortality," the authors write.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted August 2024
Read this next
AI Support Improves Breast Cancer Detection Accuracy in Mammography
MONDAY, July 14, 2025 -- Artificial intelligence (AI) support improves radiologists' breast cancer detection accuracy when reading mammograms, according to a study published...
Varying Associations ID'd Between Hormone Therapy, Young-Onset Breast Cancer
THURSDAY, July 10, 2025 -- Associations between hormone therapy and young-onset breast cancer (diagnosed at younger than 55 years) vary, according to a study published online in...
Removing Out-of-Pocket Fee Boosts Rates of Digital Breast Mammography
WEDNESDAY, July 9, 2025 -- Removing a modest out-of-pocket fee significantly improves access to digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT; 3D mammography), particularly among underserved...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.