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Socioeconomic status and survival for patients with melanoma in the United States: an NCDB analysis
Author(s) -
Sitenga Jenna L.,
Aird Gregory,
Ahmed Aabra,
Walters Ryan,
Silberstein Peter T.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
international journal of dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.677
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1365-4632
pISSN - 0011-9059
DOI - 10.1111/ijd.14026
Subject(s) - socioeconomic status , medicine , poverty , health care , quality of life (healthcare) , demography , environmental health , gerontology , family medicine , economic growth , nursing , population , sociology , economics
Abstract Background The importance of socioeconomic factors and healthcare treatment and outcomes for lower income patients is tremendous, affecting not only those afflicted by poverty and decreased quality of care but also physicians, healthcare professionals, and society at large. Methods The National Cancer Database was used to identify 80,907 patients with stage 0–4 melanoma and analyze variables to track patterns in survival and outcome. Results This study demonstrates that disparities in income, insurance status, and education affects treatment and survival rates across all stages of melanoma and seeks to establish further understanding surrounding socioeconomic factors and quality of healthcare in America. Conclusion Through investigation and analysis, the goal of this study is to highlight how the existing socioeconomic gap in America impacts the quality of treatment and survival in patients diagnosed with melanoma.