The impact of socioeconomic status on prostate cancer screening and access to medical care

Abstract

Nowadays, Prostate Cancer (PC) makes up a high proportion of cancer mortality; moreover, apart from skin cancer, it has the most prevalence among malignancies. Due to tremendous progress in early detection through blood tests, surgical procedures and radiotherapy treatment, the prognosis of patients with PC has been dramatically increased. Over the past years, an ongoing debate on the costs and benefits of early detection of PC has existed, and the overall value of early detection in PC remains to be elucidated. The clinical implication of Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) in PC diagnosis has been proven to some degree and has been considered the leading cause of the notable rise in PC incidence. In a scrutiny of literature, plenty of studies have been conducted regarding the effects of socioeconomic status (SES) on different aspects of PC. The index of SES involves a combination of different indicators including, but not limited to, education, lifestyle and economy. According to the outcomes of previous investigations, the level of SES is inversely correlated with the PC mortality rate, resulting in the detection of the tumour in the earlier stages. In support of this fact, men with higher levels of SES have more access to medical care; furthermore, as the level of SES increases, the intention toward PSA screening tests rises.