Page 149 - GHES-2-2

Global Health Econ Sustain

ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE
Disparities in cancer outcomes: A

comprehensive analysis of cancer incidence,
mortality, and prevalence in Europe

Maria Asensio * and Elena Amaral 2
1
1 Department of Political Science and Public Policy, Centre for Research and Studies in Sociology,
University Institute of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
2 Faculty of Medical Science, NOVA Medical School, Lisbon, Portugal

Abstract

Cancer poses a substantial challenge in Europe’s public health landscape,
contributing significantly to illness burden, diminished productivity, and escalating
health-care costs. This article investigates the extent to which disparities in cancer
outcomes are associated with factors influencing the performance of cancer
control initiatives within the European Union (EU). The characteristics of health-
care systems play a pivotal role in shaping cancer outcomes through three key
mechanisms: (i) Access to screening programs; (ii) quality and efficiency of health-
care services; and (iii) health education and awareness programs. A multifactorial
regression analysis was employed, utilizing the GLOBOCAN 2020 projections of
Academic editor: cancer incidence, mortality, and prevalence based on the data from the International
Mihajlo Jakovljevic M.D. Ph.D. MAE
Agency for Research on Cancer. This analysis was delineated across 36 distinct cancer
*Corresponding author: classifications by both gender and age categories. In countries with incomplete
Maria Asensio
(maria.asensio@iscte-iul.pt) population coverage, patients may face limitations in accessing certain services or
contend with significant financial obstacles. Furthermore, disparities in health-care
Citation: Asensio, M., & Amaral, E. service implementation, including diagnostic procedures, treatment modalities,
(2024). Disparities in cancer
outcomes: A comprehensive and follow-up care, significantly affect cancer outcomes. In addition, systematic
analysis of cancer incidence, distinctions in care quality, such as early diagnosis, timely access to specialized care,
mortality, and prevalence in Europe. and the presence of coordinated efforts, contribute significantly to diverse cancer
Global Health Econ Sustain, 2(2):
3216. outcomes. In conclusion, this article highlights the variations in cancer care provision
https://doi.org/10.36922/ghes.3216 across European countries, offering valuable insights for enhancing cancer patient
Received: March 20, 2024 care.
Accepted: April 24, 2024
Keywords: Public healthcare; European countries; Cancer outcomes; Public policies;
Published Online: June 5, 2024
GLOBOCAN 2020
Copyright: © 2024 Author(s).
This is an Open-Access article
distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution
License, permitting distribution, 1. Introduction
and reproduction in any medium,
provided the original work is Cancer is a significant global health issue, presenting a pressing concern in Europe’s public
properly cited. health landscape (Immergut, 2021). It serves as a considerable contributor to illness
Publisher’s Note: AccScience burden, reduced productivity, and rising health-care expenses (Bettio et al., 2019). This
Publishing remains neutral with study aims to evaluate the impact of health-care system attributes on age-standardized
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional cancer mortality rates. We conducted a comprehensive analysis of available data about
affiliations. the distribution of cancer stages sourced from national cancer registries. In addition, the

Volume 2 Issue 2 (2024) 1 https://doi.org/10.36922/ghes.3216