Ecological study of regional inequalities of tumor size at diagnosis in Germany

Dr. Philipp Jaehn

There is growing recognition of the importance of residential environment for early detection of cancer. An ecological study in eight federal states in Germany investigated impact of area socioeconomic deprivation, social capital, and rurality on tumor size at diagnosis among patients with female breast cancer, colorectal cancer, malignant melanoma, uterine cancer, or male bladder cancer (n=386,223). High area socioeconomic deprivation was associated with advanced tumor size at diagnosis of colorectal cancer and melanoma. For melanoma, low social capital was associated with advanced tumor size among females and males, while a rural settlement structure was associated with advanced tumor size among males only.