Disparities in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Breast Cancer Among People With Disabilities

Do patients with breast cancer and disability experience disparities in cancer diagnosis, treatment, and survival outcomes compared with those without disabilities?In this cohort study of 150 412 women with breast cancer in South Korea, 7443 patients who also had disabilities had significantly higher rates of advanced or unknown cancer stage at diagnosis, lower likelihood of receiving standard treatments, and higher overall mortality compared with those without disabilities.These findings suggest that interventions addressing disability-related barriers are urgently needed to achieve equitable breast cancer care.

Corresponding Authors: Dong Wook Shin, MD, PhD, MBA, Department of Family Medicine/Supportive Care Center, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, 81 Irwon-Ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul 06351, South Korea (dwshin.md@gmail.com); Kyungdo Han, PhD, Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science, Soongsil University, 369 Sangdo-ro, Dongjak-gu, Seoul 06978, South Korea (hkd917@naver.com).

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