Disparities in prevalence rates for lung, colorectal, breast, and prostate cancers in Medicaid.
BACKGROUND
Given previous reports of variations in prevalence of cancer in low-income individuals, we sought to determine if disparities in cancer prevalence existed in a similarly-insured Medicaid population.


METHODS
Using Maryland Medicaid administrative claims data, prevalence rates of lung, colorectal, breast, and prostate cancers were calculated for Maryland Medicaid recipients who were continuously eligible during the period from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2000. Chi-squared tests were used to test the differences across subgroups. Cancer prevalence data were age-adjusted using Maryland Medicaid enrollees as the standard population.


RESULTS
The care prevalence rates for lung, colorectal, breast, and prostate cancers were 75/10,000, 63/10,000, 92/10,000, and 45/10,000, respectively. These rates were 1.2 to 5.2 times those reported at the national level. Generally, higher cancer prevalence rates in certain racial groups in Maryland Medicaid were consistent with previous studies. Regional differences in cancer prevalence existed for each cancer studied.


CONCLUSIONS
Limiting our study sample to a population of uniformly low socioeconomic individuals did not eliminate the disparity in prevalence rates between blacks and whites. Different patterns of racial disparity across regions reported by previous researchers might be due to small area variation in addition to socioeconomic status.
Mullins
C Daniel
CD
Center on Drugs and Public Policy, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, 515 W. Lombard St., Second Floor, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA. dmullins@rx.umaryland.edu
Cooke
Jesse L
JL
Wang
Junling
J
Shaya
Fadia T
FT
Hsu
Doren Van
DV
Brooks
Sandra
S
D000328:Adult; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D008297:Male; D008396:Maryland / Q000453:epidemiology; D008484:Medicaid / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology