Socioeconomic gradients in clinical stage at presentation and survival among @entity0 XXXX in the Stockholm area 1977-1997.

@entity1 @entity5 @entity0
A program to ensure an equivalent standard of care for all @entity1 with @entity0 was initiated in the Stockholm area in the mid 1970s. As part of an evaluation of this program, social gradients in clinical stage at presentation and survival were analyzed among @entity1 diagnosed during 1977 through 1997. The @entity1 (n = 15,021) were selected from a database covering about 88% of all diagnosed @entity0 cases in the region. Putative associations were analyzed between clinical stage, survival and different socioeconomic indicators (level of education, income and occupation). There were significant social differences (p < 0.01) in distribution of clinical stage as well as in total and stage-specific survival. High income, more skilled work and a high level of education were all associated with clinically less advanced @entity5 and hence better survival. However, stage-specific survival differences were mostly generated by differences in @entity5 mortality. The results indicate social inequalities regarding awareness of the disease and/or access to early detection. Social gradients in @entity5 mortality were also found to influence observed survival. In contrast, we observed no significant social differences in stage-specific @entity0 mortality.
