Sociodemographic factors associated with stage of diagnosis and treatment uptake among patients with colorectal cancer: A brief report

Abstract Introduction Previous research has indicated the presence of sociodemographic differences in disease stage at diagnosis and treatment uptake among patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). Patients that identify as black, being female and older age are associated with a decreased uptake of therapeutic options, however these findings are inconsistent in the literature. The purpose of this analysis was to examine the presence of sociodemographic disparities in disease stage and diagnosis and subsequent treatment uptake among patients with CRC. Materials & methods This secondary data analysis was conducted utilizing a tumor registry database from a academic cancer center with data from patients with diagnosed adenocarcinoma of the colon, rectum or rectosigmoid junction ( n =524) from May 2009 to May 2014. Diagnosed disease stage and treatment uptake differences were assessed among sociodemographic groups. Results Analyses showed that being female and decreased age were significantly associated with more advanced diagnosed disease stage. There were no significant sociodemographic predictors associated with patients who received treatment versus those who did not. Additionally, there were no significant differences by sociodemographic factors for treatment type. Conclusions Sociodemographic disparities were present among women and younger patients related to disease stage at diagnosis. Future research is needed to corroborate the presence of and psychosocial mechanisms behind disparities in diagnosis and treatment uptake among patients with CRC.