Socioeconomic status and lung cancer risk in Nepal

Lung cancer is the most common cancer among men and the third most common cancer among women in Nepal. Socioeconomic disparities in lung cancer have not been studied in the Nepalese population.

We conducted a lung cancer case-control study, including 209 cases and 313 controls at the main cancer hospital in Nepal, the B.P. Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital (BPKMCH).

We observed differences in lung cancer risk by ethnicity; the Rai, Limbu and Magar groups had a higher risk of lung cancer than Brahmin (OR=3.11, 95%CI=1.55-6.23). An inverse association was observed between education and lung cancer risk (p for trend=0.0008). We also observed greater lung cancer risk among unmarried individuals (OR=2.25, 95%CI=1.12-4.53), and lower risk in individuals who lived in the Central region compared to the West (OR=0.47, 95%CI=0.26-0.85). There were greater proportions of late stage cancers among women compared to men, in the Rai/Limbu/Magar ethnic groups, in individuals with lower education and in older age groups.

Disparities in lung cancer risk were observed by race/ethnicity, education, marital status, and by region of residence. Further research on socioeconomic influence on lung cancer in Nepal is warranted to develop better prevention efforts against the disease.