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Cancer hits poor hard

By Bill Scanlon, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published December 2, 2008 at 11:22 a.m.
Updated December 2, 2008 at 11:54 p.m.

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Being poor in Colorado continues to be a big risk factor in contracting cancer and dying from it.

A new groundbreaking study, "Cancer & Poverty: Colorado: 1995-2006," found this to be true across all types of cancers and points to a multitude of causes.

The higher risk factors for Coloradans in poverty or close to it suggest an extra 300 or so cancer deaths each year.

"There is such a strong pattern, from cancer type to cancer type," said Jack Finch, lead statistical analyst for the Colorado Center Cancer Registry. "We haven't improved over what we were seeing" in the late 1990s.

Cancer is the leading cause of death in Colorado, killing 6,523 people in the state two years ago.

Disparities in the health care system put poor people at a "tremendous disadvantage" in the fight against cancer, according to a statement accompanying the report.

Coloradans in poverty tend to smoke more often, be more obese and get less exercise than Coloradans with more money, the study says.

But those in poverty also have less access to care - either because they have no health insurance or because they have no way of getting to a clinic for cancer-prevention screening or treatment.

Consequently, while most cancers are detected in the early stages for other Coloradans, half of those in poverty don't have their cancers detected until they're in a later stage.

Reducing the risk

Recommendations of state health officials to reduce cancer risk for poor people:

1. Access to good health education

2. Cancer screening, treatment

3. Reducing tobacco use

4. Preventing obesity

5. Encouraging exercise

6. Funding programs that encourage healthy behaviors and boost access to preventive medicine and early detection.

Comments

  • December 2, 2008

    12:18 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Cowboy63 writes:

    Quality health care is like any other service - you get what you pay for. I wonder how much of this has to do with Choices rather than income. How many people were fighting there way into Walmart for a new flatscreen last Friday with no health insurance?

  • December 2, 2008

    1:22 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    BroncoDan writes:

    See, being poor isn't all it's made out to be...;-D

  • December 2, 2008

    3:03 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    squeakywheel writes:

    Looks like an early grab at federal dollars (I mean taxpayer dollars) for the office of the president-neglect who is going to lower the oceans and heal the world.

  • December 3, 2008

    2:42 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    texacola writes:

    Even people with good health care risk losing their life due to undetected cancer. If you had a tumor growing on your liver, it would be years before you would have symptoms. Then it might be too late due to mestaticizing(sic) and/or spreading.
    There is no regular screening for a cancer like this. By the time you notice, it's too late. Most of the cancer research dollars go into corrective measures (medicines, etc..) not preventative.
    Probably the same for Pancreatic, Colon, Prostate, etc..