Relationship Between Income Levels and Breast Cancer Incidences

Breast cancer is a very deadly disease just like every other cancer. However, as incredible as it may sound, there is proof of connection between breast cancer and the patient's income level. The connection is not wholly clear but with the help of relevant data, we can establish a proper connection. Numerous studies have been carried out through the ages, but, despite the conception that higher income enables one to have easier access to breast cancer support, few have been able to capture the exact relation that exists between income groups and breast cancer patients.

For instance, in one study 2,300 women, most of them did not adhere to the breast cancer screening timings because; the lower-income women did not get the reminder from heir doctors to attend the screening. Apart from that, they had no means of transportation or people to baby-sit their children while they were gone! Most of these women had a family income of about $7000 and were roughly the age of 53 years and have had health insurance benefits five years prior to the screening. Unfortunately, these women seldom received any reminders to attend the screenings.

On the other hand, the higher income level women not only received a letter from their primary doctor but also a formal letter from the organization that reminds them of mammograms. If they still failed to show up they were "counseled" or reprimanded by the health workers. Still more middle-income women received the same formal letter from the care organization and a letter from their doctor. If they did not show up, they did not get any reminders or reprimands of any kind. Although both the women had health insurance, the women with a higher income level were the ones who got the preferential treatment.

For instance women in California have white collar jobs, higher levels of income and more years of education and these are the kind of women who can attend to get a mammography and also the kind of women who are more susceptible to breast cancer. Surprisingly on the other hand, women with a lower level of income are less susceptible to this form of cancer. To support this theory, there are some statistics too. One-fifth of the high income and more educated women are 27 times more susceptible to get breast cancer compared to the one fifth of white women with less education and lower income.

When it comes to African American women, the more educated and the higher income group have 22 times more chances of falling prey to cancer than African American women with lesser education and lower income group.

The point that rises here is, why is education and income inversely proportionate to the probability of cancer attack? The obvious thing here is, education and income have no proper role to play in the cause of cancer. The logical conclusion should be since the higher level income women are better off, they should be able to save themselves from being cancer patients, however, and that does not seem to be the case here. Most probable hypothesis may be, women with a higher income level have a toxic lifestyle that is capable of inducing carcinogenic materials in the body.

To conclude, we can say that though there is no said way of detecting cancer, if women take proper precautions they can reduce the chances of it happening to a long extent.