Health Disparities and Outcomes in Cancer Survivors

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2026 | Viewed by 1158

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
1. Center for Healthy Aging, Self-Management and Complex Care, College of Nursing, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
2. The Ohio State University–James: Cancer Treatment and Research Center, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
Interests: cancer survivors; gastrointestinal (GI) cancers; chemotoxicity and symptom management; hospice and palliative care in vulnerable cancer populations; cancer health disparities in cancer survivorship
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The landscape of cancer survivorship is rapidly evolving, marked by a substantial increase in the number of individuals living beyond their cancer diagnosis. Globally, it is estimated that there are over 20 million cancer survivors, a number projected to grow due to advancements in early detection and treatment modalities (American Cancer Society, 2023). This burgeoning population underscores the importance of addressing health disparities that persist among different socio-demographic groups of survivors. Despite progress in oncology care, disparities in health outcomes such as quality of life, symptom management, caregiver burden, facilitating return to normal life and work, cancer rehabilitation, and access to supportive services remain prevalent among cancer survivors. This Special Issue will feature original research and reviews that advance our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of health disparities and propose solutions to improve these disparities among cancer survivors across diverse populations.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Current Oncology.

Dr. Claire Jungyoun Han
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • cancer survivorship
  • quality of life
  • social behavioral determinants of health (SBDH)
  • health disparities
  • symptom management

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 1153 KiB  
Article
Counties with Low Employment and Education Status Are Associated with Higher Age-Adjusted Cancer Mortality
by Minu Ponnamma Mohan, Joel B. Epstein, Kapil S. Meleveedu, Roberto Pili and Poolakkad S. Satheeshkumar
Cancers 2025, 17(12), 2051; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers17122051 - 19 Jun 2025
Viewed by 46
Abstract
Background: This study aims to evaluate the potential relationship between county-level social determinants of health (SDOH)—specifically education and job status—and cancer mortality. Methods: We utilized Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) data from the Agency for Healthcare Quality (AHRQ) 2015 county database for [...] Read more.
Background: This study aims to evaluate the potential relationship between county-level social determinants of health (SDOH)—specifically education and job status—and cancer mortality. Methods: We utilized Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) data from the Agency for Healthcare Quality (AHRQ) 2015 county database for a cross-sectional study investigating the primary independent variables—low education and low employment status—and the outcome of cancer mortality. Results: Out of 3134 counties, 906 exhibited poor employment levels, while 467 showed low educational attainment. The age-adjusted cancer death rate for non-low-education counties was 172.90 [157.00, 188.40], but for low-education counties it was 186.20 [161.72, 209.33], p < 0.001. Conversely, this was 169.15 [154.00, 183.50], compared to 189.80 [171.90, 207.10], p < 0.001, for counties with low employment. The adjusted analysis indicated that counties with low education levels were correlated with elevated age-adjusted cancer mortality (7.68, 95% CI: 5.06–10.31), and similarly, counties with low employment rates were linked to increased age-adjusted cancer mortality (4.69, 95% CI: 2.58–6.79). Conclusions: Our findings indicate that counties characterized by low educational attainment and poor employment levels are associated with elevated age-adjusted cancer death rates. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Disparities and Outcomes in Cancer Survivors)
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19 pages, 309 KiB  
Article
Differences in COVID-19-Related Hospitalization, Treatment, Complications, and Death by Race and Ethnicity and Area-Level Measures Among Individuals with Cancer in the ASCO Registry
by Adiba Ashrafi, Yong Lin, Angela J. Fong, Jessica Y. Islam, Tiffany C. Turner Anderson, Shridar Ganesan, Carolyn J. Heckman and Adana A. M. Llanos
Cancers 2025, 17(5), 857; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers17050857 - 2 Mar 2025
Viewed by 759
Abstract
Individuals with cancer exposed to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), are more susceptible to COVID-19-related complications [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Disparities and Outcomes in Cancer Survivors)
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