The authors present findings from logistic regression analyses to quantify the individual and combined effects of age, race, socioeconomic class, and type of health care setting on breast and cervical cancer stage diagnosis. From 1980 to 1985 (the study period), there were 22,111 breast cancer, 2,930 invasive cervical cancer, and 6,408 cervical carcinoma in-situ cases with known stage reported.

“Logistic regression analyses, using information from the New York State Tumor Registry and area-level social class indicators, demonstrated that, in New York City, older Black, lower class women in public hospitals were 3.75 and 2.54 times more likely to have late stage breast or cervical cancer, respectively, than were younger, White, high school class women in non-public hospitals.”

The logistic regression analyses indicated that, controlling for other variables, the following factors were associated with late stage breast cancer: postmenopausal age, Black race, low education, and public hospital use. Age and public hospital setting were each associated with an increased risk of late stage cervical cancer. In the second model, age, race, hospital setting, income, and education were each associated with invasive disease.