Income and education inequalities in ovarian cancer mortality in Canada: 1990-2019

Ovarian cancer ranks as the fifth leading cause of cancer deaths among Canadian women. This study aims to investigate trends in socioeconomic inequalities in ovarian cancer mortality over the past three decades, from 1990 to 2019. A dataset was construed at Census Division (n = 280) level in Canada using information from the Canadian Vital Statistics Death Database, the Canadian Census of Population and the National Household Survey. Socioeconomic inequalities in ovarian cancer mortality were assessed using the age-standardized Concentration Index (C), based on average/median equivalized household income, and educational attainment (bachelor's degree or higher). The average crude mortality rate for ovarian cancer in Canada was 9.7 per 100,000, with the highest rates in British Columbia and the Atlantic region. The negative values of age-standardized C based on average income and educational attainment - indicating higher ovarian cancer mortality rates among low socioeconomic groups - reached statistical significance in certain years, particularly in the more recent period. Trend analysis revealed a notable pattern of increasing income inequality in ovarian cancer mortality over time based on average income. The observed socioeconomic inequalities in ovarian cancer mortality warrant further investigation to identify the underlying factors contributing to this pattern in Canada.