Five- and 10-year survival lower for young individuals with cancer residing in redlined neighborhoods
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, Jan. 27, 2025 (HealthDay News) — For young individuals with cancer, residence in redlined neighborhoods is associated with lower survival at five and 10 years, according to a study published online Jan. 27 in Cancer.
Kristine A. Karvonen, M.D., from the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle, and colleagues determined case redlining status among individuals younger than 40 years of age living in Seattle and Tacoma between 2000 and 2019 with incident cancer. Five- and 10-year survival and hazard ratio of death were determined according to redlined status.
The researchers found that among 4,355 cases, overall survival at five years was lower among those residing in redlined versus unexposed neighborhoods (85.1 versus 90.3 percent). At 10 years, these survival differences persisted. Redlined-exposed individuals with cancer had a higher unadjusted hazard of death than redlined-unexposed (hazard ratio,1.62). Mortality remained higher for redlined cases in the fully adjusted model (hazard ratio, 1.32). No effect modification was seen from area-level poverty in the relationship between redlining and death.
“This study agrees with previous research that living in an area that was previously redlined nearly a century ago is associated with poor outcomes for patients with cancer today and adds young patients with cancer as a population at risk,” Karvonen said in a statement. “Therefore, our study names racism as a potential driver of outcomes for young patients with cancer.”
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