An investigation by ibs.GRANADA indicates that the poorest men have a higher risk of lung cancer and a lower risk of colorectal cancer

Researchers from the Cancer Epidemiology group of the Granada Biosanitary Research Institute (ibs.GRANADA), the Andalusian School of Public Health and the CIBER of Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP) have analyzed the relationship between socioeconomic status and the incidence of some cancers , finding that poorer men are more likely to be diagnosed with lung cancer, although they have a lower risk of colorectal cancer. Also, wealthier women have a higher risk of breast cancer. For women, no association has been found between socioeconomic status and risk of lung or colorectal cancer.

It is the first study that analyzes cancer data from several Spanish population cancer registries to find out the socioeconomic inequalities that exist, so it can be very useful for evaluating public health policies that try to improve the situation.

The study has analyzed 8.047 new cases of lung, breast and colon-rectum cancer diagnosed in the period 2010-2013 in nine Spanish provinces from various socioeconomic contexts: Albacete, Bizkaia, Castellón, Cuenca, Gipuzkoa, Girona, Granada, Navarra and Tarragona. . Although not all provinces were able to provide data on the 3 types of cancer studied, a total of 3.157 cases of breast cancer in women, 1.067 cases of lung cancer, and 3.823 cases of colon-rectal cancer were analyzed. This project has been funded by the Carlos III Health Institute and the Spanish Association Against Cancer.

To measure socioeconomic status, researchers have used a deprivation index, which quantifies the poverty or wealth of an area based on employment and education data. In general, the northern areas of Spain are richer than the southern areas, just as the provincial capitals are richer than rural areas.

The results of this research are consistent with other studies carried out in European countries such as France, Italy or Germany.

This research reflects the existing inequalities in cancer, although to get to know exactly the causes of these inequalities, more research will be necessary. The research is published in a scientific article in the scientific journal cancers and is part of the doctoral thesis of Daniel Redondo Sánchez in the Program of Clinical Medicine and Public Health of the University of Granada.

About the research group

The ibs.GRANADA Cancer Epidemiology research group, led by María José Sánchez Pérez, was created within the framework of the Granada Cancer Registry, whose activity began in 1985. It has researchers with extensive training and experience in different areas: oncology , cancer epidemiology, statistics, health economics, environmental epidemiology, public health, anthropology and psychology. They have participated in multicenter research projects, both national and international, related to the etiology, medical care and survival of cancer patients, environmental epidemiology and health economics. His main lines of research are the geographic distribution of cancer and spatial risk analysis, health economics, environmental exposures and cancer risk, risk factors in cancer and other chronic diseases, nutrition and cancer, population-based cancer registries. and descriptive epidemiology of cancer, health outcomes, use of health services and variability of clinical practice in cancer patients and epidemiological surveillance, cancer control and socioeconomic inequalities.

More information about the group at https://www.ibsgranada.es/grupos-de-investigacion/a17-epidemiologia-cancer/

Bibliographic reference:

Redondo-Sanchez, D.; Marcos-Gragera, R.; Carulla, M.; Lopez de Munain, A.; Sabater Gregori, C.; Jimenez Chillarón, R.; Guevara, M.; Nunez, O.; Fernandez-Navarro, P.; Sanchez, M.-J.; Luque-Fernandez, MA Lung, Breast and Colorectal Cancer Incidence by Socioeconomic Status in Spain: A Population-Based Multilevel Study. cancers 2021, 13, 2820. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers13112820