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Treatment patterns for cancer in Western Australia: does being Indigenous make a difference?
Sonja E Hall1, Caroline E Bulsara, Max K Bulsara
1School of Population Health, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia. shall@sph.uwa.edu.au
The Medical Journal of Australia
|August 18, 2004
Summary
Indigenous cancer patients in Western Australia were less likely to receive lung cancer surgery. However, surgical rates for breast and prostate cancer were similar between Indigenous and non-Indigenous individuals, warranting further investigation into care disparities.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Health Services Research
- Health Equity
Background:
- Cancer care disparities persist globally.
- Understanding surgical access for Indigenous populations is crucial for equitable healthcare.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare surgical treatment rates for breast, lung, and prostate cancers between Indigenous and non-Indigenous patients in Western Australia.
- To identify potential disparities in cancer surgery access.
Main Methods:
- Epidemiological survey utilizing the Western Australian Record Linkage Project.
- Inclusion of all registered breast (1982-2000), lung (1982-2001), and prostate (1982-2001) cancer patients.
- Adjusted logistic regression analyses to compare surgical likelihoods between Indigenous and non-Indigenous groups.
Main Results:
- Indigenous patients had lower odds of receiving lung cancer surgery (OR, 0.64).
- Indigenous men and women had similar likelihoods of receiving prostatectomy (OR, 0.69) and breast-conserving surgery (OR, 0.86), respectively.
- Limited radical prostatectomy rates were observed in Indigenous men.
Conclusions:
- Significant differences in surgical care patterns exist for Indigenous patients concerning lung and prostate cancers, but not breast cancer.
- Further research is needed to explore the underlying reasons for these disparities, including treatment preferences and access barriers.