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Cancer Causes & Control
Published in: Cancer Causes & Control 10/2023

Open Access 17-06-2023 | Care | Original Paper

The effect of general practice contact on cancer stage at diagnosis in Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal residents of New South Wales

Authors: David Banham, David Roder, Sandra Thompson, Anna Williamson, Freddie Bray, David Currow

Published in: Cancer Causes & Control | Issue 10/2023

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Abstract

Purpose

Older age, risks from pre-existing health conditions and socio-economic disadvantage are negatively related to the prospects of an early-stage cancer diagnosis. With older Aboriginal Australians having an elevated prevalence of these underlying factors, this study examines the potential for the mitigating effects of more frequent contact with general practitioners (GPs) in ensuring local-stage at diagnosis.

Methods

We compared the odds of local vs. more advanced stage at diagnosis of solid tumours according to GP contact, using linked registry and administrative data. Results were compared between Aboriginal (n = 4,084) and non-Aboriginal (n = 249,037) people aged 50 + years in New South Wales with a first diagnosis of cancer in 2003–2016.

Results

Younger age, male sex, having less area-based socio-economic disadvantage, and fewer comorbid conditions in the 12 months before diagnosis (0–2 vs. 3 +), were associated with local-stage in fully-adjusted structural models. The odds of local-stage with more frequent GP contact (14 + contacts per annum) also differed by Aboriginal status, with a higher adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of local-stage for frequent GP contact among Aboriginal people (aOR = 1.29; 95% CI 1.11–1.49) but not among non-Aboriginal people (aOR = 0.97; 95% CI 0.95–0.99).

Conclusion

Older Aboriginal Australians diagnosed with cancer experience more comorbid conditions and more socioeconomic disadvantage than other Australians, which are negatively related to diagnosis at a local-cancer stage. More frequent GP contact may act to partly offset this among the Aboriginal population of NSW.
Appendix
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Metadata
Title
The effect of general practice contact on cancer stage at diagnosis in Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal residents of New South Wales
Authors
David Banham
David Roder
Sandra Thompson
Anna Williamson
Freddie Bray
David Currow
Publication date
17-06-2023
Publisher
Springer International Publishing
Keyword
Care
Published in
Cancer Causes & Control / Issue 10/2023
Print ISSN: 0957-5243
Electronic ISSN: 1573-7225
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-023-01727-6

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