Geographic Socioeconomic Status, Race, and Advanced-Stage Breast Cancer in New York City
Sharon Stein Merkin, MHS,
Lori Stevenson, MPH and
Neil Powe, MD, MPH, MBA
At the time of the study, Sharon Stein Merkin and Lori Stevenson were with the New York City Department of Health, New York, NY. Sharon Stein Merkin is now with Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health, Department of Epidemiology, Baltimore, Md. Neil Powe is with the Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology and Clinical Research, Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health, Baltimore, Md.
Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to Sharon Stein Merkin, MHS, 1275 25th St, NW, #705, Washington, DC 20037 (e-mail: smerkin{at}jhsph.edu).
Objectives. This study examined the association between a residentialarea's socioeconomic status (SES), race, and advanced-stagebreast cancer in New York City.
Methods. The cross-sectional study design used breast cancerinformation for 37 921 cases diagnosed in New York City from1986 to 1995. Residential education and income levels were basedon the 1990 census and ascribed to each case by zip code. Associationsbetween race, area SES, and advanced-stage breast cancer stage,and the interaction between race and SES, were evaluated inbivariate and multivariate analyses.
Results. After adjusting for age and year at diagnosis, livingin areas with lower levels of education and income increasedthe odds of presenting with advanced-stage breast cancer by50% for Black women and by 75% for White women. No significantqualitative interaction was present between area SES and race.
Conclusions. This study confirmed independent racial and socioeconomicdifferences in the risk of advanced-stage breast cancer in alarge and diverse population. The results emphasize the needto improve screening practices and clinical treatment in bothhigh-risk populations and high-risk geographic areas.
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