Association of neighborhood socioeconomic status with risk of lung cancer recurrence and progression: Boston Lung Cancer Study

In the USA, about 50% of patients with lung cancer, across all stages, experience recurrence or progression after undergoing successful treatment. Analysis among 3,439 participants of the Boston Lung Cancer Study investigated the association of neighborhood socioeconomic status (nSES) with the risk of lung cancer recurrence and progression. A total of 496 lung cancer recurrence and progression cases were observed. Patients living in zip codes where the majority of the population had fewer than four years of college education and an annual household income of less than $75,000, patients had a 2% and 10% increased hazard of lung cancer recurrence or progression, respectively. For every 10% increase in the neighborhood population that had less than four years of college education an had an annual household income of less than $75,000, patients had a 3% and 3% increased hazard of lung cancer recurrence or progression, respectively. The authors conclude that these findings suggest that nSES is associated with the risk of lung cancer recurrence and progression. Disadvantaged neighborhoods may represent a critical target for health policies and interventions aimed at reducing lung cancer morbidity and mortality.