Socioeconomic disparities in treatment and survival of oesophageal and gastric cancer in the Netherlands: a nationwide population-based study

Cancer research · Esophageal cancer

Compared with low‑income patients, middle‑ and high‑income patients were more likely to receive surgery in potentially curable disease and to receive systemic therapy in palliative disease, and had consistently higher age‑standardised relative survival.

In the Netherlands, a universal health insurance system does not eliminate socioeconomic disparities in treatment and survival among patients with oesophageal or gastric cancer. This nationwide population‑based study used the Dutch National Cancer Registry data for 2015–2022 and found that patients in higher income groups were more likely to receive curative surgery and systemic therapy in the palliative setting, and that they had higher age‑standardised relative survival compared with lower income patients.

The findings emphasize that universal financial coverage alone is insufficient to eliminate inequities in cancer care, and that broader social determinants must be addressed to improve equity in treatment and survival for oesophageal and gastric cancer.

Evidence level: Állatkísérletes. Állatmodellben vizsgálták.

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