Internal migration seeking medical care for prostate cancer

To characterize the migratory flow of Mexican men affiliated to Seguro Popular (SP) seeking medical care for prostate cancer (PC).

The administrative base for the treatment of incident CP (5 526 men) funded by the SP (2012-2016) was used. Oncological risk at diagnosis (low, intermediate, high) was estimated based on prostate-specific antigen, Gleason score, and clinical stage. Spatial network analysis and centrality measures were used to identify the health migratory flow.

1 369 men sought treatment outside their state of residence, all of them with a diagnosis of PC (25%), mainly <65 years of age, high-risk PC, and residents of highly marginalized municipalities. Throughout the study period, Mexico City (closeness-in=0.34) received the largest number of patients (importance-in=1 082) from 26 different states (degree-in=26). This flow was more evident in patients with a high-risk PC, mainly towards hospitals with a high degree of specialization in cancer.

A centralized migration (with two potential migration patterns) in search of treatment for PC was observed, mainly in men with high-risk PC.