Rich Dutch people get more cancer treatment than poor ones: IKNL

Patients from lower income groups undergo treatment for a tumor less often than patients who have more to spend, according to the Integral Cancer Center of the Netherlands (IKNL), an independent knowledge institute.

The institute looked at the medical ins and outs of people with a common tumor type: breast cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer, and melanoma. The differences vary per type of cancer and also per treatment method.

If patients do receive treatment, those with a lower income are more likely to undergo less invasive treatments. People from lower-income groups with advanced cancer visit a care provider more often in their last six months than peers with more money. There are hardly any differences between the income groups in the effects of treatment, such as complications and hospital admissions.

According to IKNL, patients with a lower socio-economic status tend to be less able to take good care of themselves during a medical process and are also “less willing or able to travel for medical oncological care, which can influence their choice in treatment.”

Another possible explanation for the differences is that less prosperous people more often have additional conditions, are in poorer health, are more likely to be overweight, and smoke. They are also less likely to participate in fitness improvement programs in the run-up to cancer treatment.

But that does not explain all of the disparities. The IKNL also said that “differences in treatment and use of care do not necessarily have to be undesirable and can actually indicate person-centered care.”

The IKNL called on healthcare providers to use clear language with their patients and to pay attention to issues that could hinder a healthy lifestyle. It urged those responsible for oncological care to do more research into health differences and analyze the further causes of the mentioned disparities.