Overview
Racialized economic segregation, a form of structural racism, may drive persistent inequities for patients with cancer. Originating from historical practices like redlining, such segregation continues today, concentrating people of color in economically marginalized neighborhoods with fewer resources. These residential inequities may further perpetuate inequities in healthcare access and outcomes, adversely affecting those with conditions like metastatic breast cancer (mBC).
In this study, researchers assessed the impact of racialized economic segregation on both access to treatments and patient outcomes in mBC, building upon prior research that has examined the implications of socioeconomic status and social determinants of health on cancer outcomes.
Why this matters
This study revealed that Black and Latinx patients were more likely than White patients to reside in economically marginalized neighborhoods with fewer resources, and that residing in such areas was associated with longer time to treatment and shorter survival compared to patients residing in more economically privileged neighborhoods. By using neighborhood-level data and examining alternative measures of segregation, the study offers a nuanced understanding of segregation’s relationship with mBC outcomes. These findings emphasize the urgent need for targeted policy interventions to address systemic inequities in healthcare access and delivery, particularly among groups that have been historically marginalized.