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People who are marginalized or lack access to a primary care provider are at greater risk of early death from newly diagnosed (de novo) metastatic breast cancer, according to research in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

The Ontario study examined people with de novo metastatic breast cancer, meaning their cancer had already spread to other parts of the body when it was first diagnosed. Researchers found that 23% died within six months of diagnosis.

"Data are lacking on early death from breast cancer and its association with sociodemographic factors in Canada," write Dr. Priya Thomas, a plastic surgery resident at Western University, and Dr. Phillip Blanchette, an ICES scientist and medical oncologist at London Health Sciences Center (LHSC) and associate professor at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario, with co-authors.

"We conducted this study because patients diagnosed with de novo metastatic breast cancer are often vulnerable to disparities in health equity and access to care, and most previous studies investigating these issues have been conducted in the U.S."

One in eight females will receive a diagnosis of breast cancer within their lifetime, and 3,000 patients are diagnosed annually in Ontario. De novo metastatic breast cancer (stage IV) makes up 3% to 6% of all breast cancer diagnoses.

While advances in treatment have improved survival for many people with metastatic breast cancer, disparities in access to care remain.

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