Disparities in Cancer-Related Avoidable Mortality by the Level of Area Deprivation in South Korea

Background: This study investigated trends in cancer-related avoidable (preventable and treatable) mortality and its association with area deprivation in Korea. Methods: Cancer-related avoidable mortality rates per 100,000 population between 2015 and 2019 were measured using the Causes of Death Statistics. Area Deprivation Index (ADI) was measured from the Population and Housing Census and information on other independent variables from the Korea Community Health Survey. The gap in avoidable mortality between the more and less deprived groups was expressed as rate ratios (RR) and absolute differences (ADs) with a 95 percent confidence interval (95% CI). The association between avoidable mortality and ADI was investigated through Poisson regression modelling. Results: The more deprived areas had higher avoidable (RR 1.15, 95% CI 1.13–1.17; AD 6.58, 95% CI 5.59–7.57) and preventable (RR 1.19, 95% CI 1.17–1.21; AD 6.22, 95% CI 5.38–7.06) mortality. The overall cancer-related avoidable mortality decreased but the gap between the more and less deprived groups did not decline significantly during the study period. The association between avoidable and preventable mortality and area deprivation remained significant after adjusting for variables, including area levels of smokers and alcohol drinkers. Conclusions: The gap in avoidable mortality signifies the importance of addressing related disparities in cancer.