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Cancers
Special Issues
Cancer Disparities: Biological, Social, and Environmental Determinants
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Cancer Disparities: Biological, Social, and Environmental Determinants

A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694). This special issue belongs to the section "Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 January 2026 | Viewed by 538

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Riffat Mehboob

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Guest Editor
National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
Interests: cancer biomarkers; cancer diagnostics; innovations in oncology screening and diagnostics; environmental factors; cancer epidemiology
Prof. Dr. Miguel Muñoz

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Guest Editor
1. Pediatric Intensive Care United, Virgen del Rocio University Hospital, 41013 Seville, Spain
2. Research Laboratory on Neuropeptides (IBIS), Virgen del Rocio University Hospital, 41013 Seville, Spain
Interests: substance P; neurokinin-1 receptor; neurokinin-1 receptor antagonist; cancer; metastasis; angiogenesis; antitumor
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Cancer disparities persist globally, with significant variations in incidence, mortality, and treatment outcomes across racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and geographic groups. These inequities arise from complex interactions between biological factors, social determinants of health, and environmental exposures. This Special Issue aims to explore the multifaceted causes of cancer disparities and highlight innovative strategies to achieve health equity. We invite original research, reviews, and perspectives that address the underlying mechanisms, systemic barriers, and potential interventions to reduce disparities across the cancer care continuum—from prevention and early detection to treatment and survivorship.

Potential topics to cover include the following:

  1. Biological and Genetic Factors
  • Racial/ethnic differences in tumor biology, pharmacogenomics, and biomarker expression.
  • Genetic susceptibility and ancestry-related risk variants in underrepresented populations.
  • Impact of inflammation, immune response, and microbiome variations on cancer disparities.
  1. Social Determinants of Health
  • Socioeconomic status (income, education) and access to cancer screening/treatment.
  • Racial discrimination, stress, and allostatic load in cancer outcomes.
  • Cultural beliefs, health literacy, and patient-provider communication barriers.
  1. Environmental and Structural Inequities
  • Geographic disparities (rural vs. urban, neighborhood deprivation) in cancer care.
  • Environmental toxins, air pollution, and occupational hazards linked to cancer risk in marginalized communities.
  • Food deserts, obesity, and lifestyle factors contributing to disparities.
  1. Healthcare System Barriers
  • Insurance coverage, Medicaid expansion, and financial toxicity in cancer treatment.
  • Bias in clinical trial enrollment and underrepresentation of minority populations.
  • Disparities in access to precision medicine, immunotherapy, and cutting-edge therapies.
  1. Interventions and Policy Solutions
  • Community-engaged research and outreach programs to improve early detection.
  • Culturally tailored interventions for prevention and survivorship care.
  • Policy reforms to address structural racism and equitable healthcare delivery.
  1. Global Perspectives on Cancer Disparities
  • Low- and middle-income country (LMIC) challenges in cancer diagnosis/treatment.
  • Migration, refugee health, and cross-border disparities in cancer outcomes.

This Special Issue seeks to bridge gaps in understanding and inspire actionable solutions to eliminate cancer disparities through multidisciplinary research.

Prof. Dr. Riffat Mehboob
Prof. Dr. Miguel Muñoz
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cancers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • cancer epidemiology
  • cancer etiology
  • environmental factors
  • screening and diagnostics
  • SDGs

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

14 pages, 2037 KiB  
Article
Changes in Cancer Care for Patients Aged 80 and Above: A Cohort Study from Samsung Comprehensive Cancer Center in South Korea
by Seung Tae Kim, Danbee Kang, Seok Jin Kim, Jun Ho Lee, Hong Kwan Kim, Yong Beom Cho, Yong Han Paik, Seok Won Kim, Byong Chang Jeong, Ho Jun Seol, Man Ki Chung, Kyu Taek Lee, Kihyun Kim, Sung-wook Seo, Jeong-Won Lee, Hee Chul Park, Dong Wook Shin, Juhee Cho, Won Kim, Jeeyun Lee and Woo Yong Leeadd Show full author list remove Hide full author list
Cancers 2025, 17(12), 2017; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers17122017 - 17 Jun 2025
Viewed by 365
Abstract
Background/Objectives: With an estimated 70% of new cancer diagnoses expected to be in older adults within the next decade, cancer care for this population has attracted increasing global attention. Additionally, older patients are less likely to receive optimal cancer treatments. Methods: This retrospective [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: With an estimated 70% of new cancer diagnoses expected to be in older adults within the next decade, cancer care for this population has attracted increasing global attention. Additionally, older patients are less likely to receive optimal cancer treatments. Methods: This retrospective cohort study utilized data from the Samsung Medical Center Cancer Registry, which includes patients diagnosed with cancer between 2008 and 2022. A 15-year cohort analysis was conducted to examine trends and survival outcomes by cancer type and stage in patients aged 80 years and older. Results: Among 301,055 patients with cancer, 13,111 (4.4%) were aged 80 years or older at diagnosis. The proportion of patients in this age group increased from 2.4% in 2008 to 5.8% in 2022. The most prevalent cancers in patients aged ≥80 years were lung (18.9%), stomach (15.3%), and colorectal cancer (13.8%). Among individuals with localized or regional-stage disease, the 5-year survival rate was 49.66% in those aged ≥80 years compared to 81.46% in younger patients (HR = 1.41; 95% CI = 1.35, 1.46). For distant-stage disease, survival was lower, at 10.53% in patients aged ≥80 years versus 27.61% in those aged <80 (HR = 1.14; 95% CI = 1.10, 1.19). Among patients aged 80 years and older, 55% received anti-cancer treatment, with the proportion increasing from 54.5% in 2008 to 60.3% in 2021. This increase was particularly notable in individuals with distant-stage disease. Additionally, the proportion of clinical trial participants aged ≥80 years exhibited an upward trend. Patients in this age group who underwent treatment had significantly improved survival compared to those who did not, in both localized or regional disease (HR = 0.45; 95% CI = 0.42, 0.49) and distant disease (HR = 0.58; 95% CI = 0.53, 0.62). Conclusions: The findings from this cohort of the SMC Cancer Registry highlight key trends, including a rising number of patients aged ≥80 years and an increasing proportion receiving treatment, particularly after 2020, when more than 60% received therapy. Furthermore, survival benefits associated with treatment were comparable to those observed in younger patients across all cancer types. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cancer Disparities: Biological, Social, and Environmental Determinants)
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