Background: The influence of socioeconomic environment on cancer survival has been established in numerous studies in the EU and the US, prognosis being constantly poorer for the most underprivileged patients.
Aim: To investigate the influence of distance to care centre and deprivation on colon cancer survival, using a multilevel Cox model and taking into account cancer stage at diagnosis and treatment modalities.
Methods: The study population comprised all cases of colon cancer diagnosed between 1997 and 2000 in two French areas covered by specialized cancer registries (n = 2066).
Results: Road distance to the nearest reference care centre was associated with poorer prognosis even after adjustment for stage at diagnosis (P for trend = 0.01). Subgroups analysis showed that this association was maximal for patients with advanced cancer [RR = 1.27 (1.04-1.51); P for trend = 0.015] for whom access to chemotherapy varying according to distance explained the major part of geographic inequalities in survival.
Conclusions: The major effect of distance from reference care centre on survival suggests that current regional health planning does not guarantee equity in cancer management. Improvement in access to adjuvant therapy, especially for patients with advanced cancers, seems crucial for reducing geographic disparities in colon cancer survival.