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Background: Socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with a range of health outcomes, including cancer diagnosis and survival. However, the evidence for this association is inconsistent between countries with and without single‐payer health care systems. In this study, the relationships between neighborhood‐level income, cancer stage at diagnosis, and cancer‐specific mortality in Alberta, Canada, were evaluated. Methods: The Alberta Cancer Registry was used to identify all primary cancer diagnoses between 2010 and 2020. Average neighborhood income was determined by linking the Canadian census to postal codes and was categorized into quintiles on the basis of income distribution in Alberta. Multivariable multinomial logistic regression was used to model the association between income quintile and stage at diagnosis, and the Fine–Gray proportional subdistribution hazards model was used to estimate the association between SES and cancer‐specific mortality. Results: Out of the 143,818 patients with cancer included in the study, those in lower income quintiles were significantly more likely to be diagnosed at stage III (odds ratio [OR], 1.07; 95% CI [confidence interval], 1.06–1.09) or IV (OR, 1.12; 95% CI, 1.11–1.14) after adjusting for age and sex. Lower income quintiles also had significantly worse cancer‐specific survival for breast, colorectal, liver, lung, non‐Hodgkin lymphoma, oral cavity, pancreas, and prostate cancers. Conclusions: Disparities were observed in cancer outcomes across neighborhood‐level income groups in Alberta, which demonstrates that health inequities by SES exist in countries with single‐payer health care systems. Further research is needed to better understand the underlying causes and to develop strategies to mitigate these disparities. The association between socioeconomic status and cancer outcomes in countries with single‐payer health care systems is inconsistent. In this analysis, lower socioeconomic status was found to be associated with both stage at diagnosis and cancer‐specific mortality of major cancer types in a Canadian province. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Previous studies have shown an association between living alone and cancer mortality; however, findings by sex and race/ethnicity have generally been inconsistent, and data by socioeconomic status are sparse. The association between living alone and cancer mortality by sex, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status in a nationally representative US cohort was examined. Methods: Pooled 1998–2019 data for adults aged 18–64 years at enrollment from the National Health Interview Survey linked to the National Death Index (N = 473,648) with up to 22 years of follow‐up were used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) for the association between living alone and cancer mortality. Results: Compared to adults living with others, adults living alone were at a higher risk of cancer death in the age‐adjusted model (HR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.25–1.39) and after additional adjustments for multiple sociodemographic characteristics and cancer risk factors (HR, 1.10; 95% CI, 1.04–1.16). Age‐adjusted models stratified by sex, poverty level, and educational attainment showed similar associations between living alone and cancer mortality, but the association was stronger among non‐Hispanic White adults (HR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.25–1.42) than non‐Hispanic Black adults (HR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.05–1.32; p value for difference <.05) and did not exist in other racial/ethnic groups. These associations were attenuated but persisted in fully adjusted models among men (HR, 1.13; 95% CI, 1.05–1.23), women (HR, 1.09; 95% CI, 1.01–1.18), non‐Hispanic White adults (HR, 1.13; 95% CI, 1.05–1.20), and adults with a college degree (HR, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.07–1.39). Conclusions: In this nationally representative study in the United States, adults living alone were at a higher risk of cancer death in several sociodemographic groups. In a nationally representative study with up to 22 years of mortality follow‐up, US working‐age adults experiencing social isolation, measured as living alone, were at a higher risk of cancer death than adults living with others. This association persisted among non‐Hispanic White adults and adults with higher education even after accounting for differences in a wide range of sociodemographic, behavioral, and health characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]