Thanks to the pandemic and the concurrent social unrest, healthcare disparities in the United States has finally become a prioritized topic of discussion and a need for action. Race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, education status, immigrant status, primary language, place of work, access to care, and housing in racially segregated neighborhoods all factor in the inequity of care. We invited clinicians and surgeons with their boots on the ground in this arena to provide current reviews of the literature on healthcare disparities in the management and treatment of those with thoracic malignancies.
Healthcare disparities in thoracic malignancies
The impact of income and education on lung cancer screening utilization, eligibility, and outcomes: a narrative review of socioeconomic disparities in lung cancer screening
Narrative review of socioeconomic and racial disparities in the treatment of early stage lung cancer
Racial and socioeconomic disparities in the use of stereotactic body radiotherapy for treating non-small cell lung cancer: a narrative review
Sociodemographic disparities in the management of advanced lung cancer: a narrative review
A narrative review of socioeconomic disparities in the treatment of esophageal cancer
A narrative review of the health disparities associated with malignant pleural mesothelioma
The role of gender in non-small cell lung cancer: a narrative review
A narrative review of sociodemographic risk and disparities in screening, diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes of the most common extrathoracic malignancies in the United States
Disclosure:
The series “Socioeconomic Disparities in the Treatment of Thoracic Malignancies” was commissioned by the editorial office, Journal of Thoracic Disease without any sponsorship or funding. Kei Suzuki and Virginia Litle served as the unpaid Guest Editors for the series.