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Effects of race and socioeconomic status on survival of 1,332 black, hispanic, and white women with breast cancer

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Abstract

Background: A survival disadvantage for black women with brest cancer, which persists after controlling for stage of the disease, has been reported. This study investigates the effects of race and socioeconomic status (SES) on breast cancer survival after controlling for age, stage, histology, and type of treatment.

Methods: Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards models were used to analyze the interaction between race and SES in predicting survival in a sample of 163 black, 205 Hispanic, and 964 white women with breast cancer treated at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center (1987–1991).

Results: The results of univariate and multivariate analyses indicate that race was not a significant predictor of survival after adjusting for SES and other confounding factors such as demographic and disease characteristics. SES remained a significant predictor of survival after all adjustments were made. There was no evidence of differences in type of treatment by race or SES if adjustments were made for stage.

Conclusions: These results suggest that institutional factors, such as access to treatment, do not explain survival differences by race or SES. Other factors associated with low SES, such as life-style and behavior, may affect survival.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, University of Houston, USA

    Jack Franklin PhD

  2. Department of Surgical Oncology, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA

    S. Eva Singletary MD

  3. Department of Breast Medical Oncology, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA

    Richard L. Theriault DO

  4. Health Policy Institute, UT School of Public Health, 1200 Herman Pressler Street, 77030, Houston, TX, USA

    Luisa Franzini PhD & Anna Fay Williams PhD

Authors
  1. Luisa Franzini PhD
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  2. Anna Fay Williams PhD
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  3. Jack Franklin PhD
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  4. S. Eva Singletary MD
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  5. Richard L. Theriault DO
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Franzini, L., Williams, A.F., Franklin, J. et al. Effects of race and socioeconomic status on survival of 1,332 black, hispanic, and white women with breast cancer. Annals of Surgical Oncology 4, 111–118 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02303792

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02303792

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