Health disparities among breast cancer patients with/without disabilities in Germany

Abstract

BackgroundPrevalence and incidence of cancer are increasing in people with disability. Nevertheless, little is known about cancer care for people with disabilities. ObjectiveThe goal of this study was to examine the quality of care of breast cancer patients with pre-existing disabilities regarding diagnosis and type of breast surgery in Germany. MethodsWithin the framework of quality assurance of breast cancer centers, a patient survey was conducted by the University of Cologne. Survey data from 4626 newly-diagnosed breast cancer patients treated in 86 hospitals were analyzed using multilevel modeling. Data about socio-demographics, disability specific data as well as data about diagnosis and type of surgery were collected. ResultsAbout 13% (n = 568) of the patients indicated they had a pre-existing disability prior to their breast cancer. The majority of patients with disabilities have physical impairments (PI n = 385; 68.0%) or sensory impairments (SI n = 131; 23.1%). 16.7% of the patients indicated they have a mental illness (MI n = 95; 16.7%) and 8 patients indicated to have an intellectual disability (ID n = 8; 1.4%).Patients with PI and SI are less often diagnosed for cancer through a mammography screening (OR PI = 0.70; p < 0.05; OR SI = 0.58; p < 0.05). Patients with PI are less likely to receive breast conserving treatment (OR = 0.58; p < 0.00) and more likely to have a mastectomy without reconstruction (OR = 1.96; p < 0.00) compared to patients without disabilities. ConclusionOur data show that there are differences in the frequency of cancer diagnosis through mammography screening and in surgery applied between breast cancer patients with and without disabilities.