Background: Health disparities in cancer care have been described and stem from a complex interplay of patient, provider, and instutional factors.
Methods: A review of the literature describing disparities in aspects of cancer care was performed.
Results: Disparities in outcomes including overall survival for minority populations have been demonstrated to exist for race, age, and socioeconomic status.
Conclusion: Disparities in cancer care and outcomes clearly exist for many poorly understood reasons. After a diagnosis of cancer, barriers to care may develop at multiple points along the course of the patient's disease.
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