Abstract
Numerous epidemiological studies published over the past two decades have provided further evidence of an association between socioeconomic status and incidence of all of the most common cancers in European countries. We summarise their main conclusions and add some further insights and references.
Cancers of the lung, head and neck, oesophagus, stomach, liver and gallbladder, pancreas, kidney, bladder and cervix uteri are associated with lower affluence in Europe, whereas skin, breast, prostate and thyroid cancers are disproportionally more often diagnosed in highly affluent individuals or those living in areas with lowest deprivation levels. No convincing associations are currently seen for haematological cancers, testicular cancer and tumours of the central nervous system. There is a shifting association observed for colorectal cancer, with northern Europe now experiencing higher incidence among the deprived, while in the south, a reverse pattern remains.
Lifestyle-related factors have the largest power in driving the described inequalities within European populations. To remedy the situation, it is important to address the underlying ‘causes of the causes’ in addition to developing SES-tailored preventive approaches.
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Zadnik, V., Tomšič, S., Mihor, A., Pukkala, E. (2021). Social Disparities in Cancer Incidence Among Adults in Europe. In: Launoy, G., Zadnik, V., Coleman, M.P. (eds) Social Environment and Cancer in Europe. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-69329-9_6
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