Oral Cancer, Socioeconomic Status, and Access to Health Care in BC
Discussion
Unavailable BCCRC registry
The BCCRC registry data was unable to be obtained due to certain protocols and regulations. Consequently, results from this project cannot be attributed to oral cancer because the points are based on the injury locations which will have different reasons for clustering than oral cancer.
VANDIX - 2006 census data
It is not perfectly comparable to relate patient data collected from 1970-2010 to socioeconomic statuses measured from census data collected in 2006.
Modifiable Area Unit Problem (MAUP): a statistical bias based on the division of a study region.
Counts were spatially joined to dissemination areas polygons since it allow for a clearer comparison to the VANDIX (which is also joined to dissemination areas). However, different results may be observed if census tracts were utilized.
VANDIX - MAUP
Cost-access assessment
Multiple factors linked to health care access:
- mode of transportation
- frequency of visits
- cost of each visit
- cost of transportation
- capacity of treatment centres
Each individual patient will have a unique cost for access that cannot be assessed based solely on their postal code location; so, patients may ultimately choose the type of oral cancer treatment based on the costs associated with travel.
Unrecorded information
There are several patient history and lifestyle variables not recorded by the BCCRC but contribute significantly to oral cancer risk. These include:
- smoking rate
- eating habits
- sunlight exposure
- alcohol consumption
Also not recorded are relocation information for new immigrants or patients leaving British Columbia.
