Uninsured U.S. residents and Medicaid beneficiaries are more likely than people with private health insurance to be diagnosed with cancer in late stages, which reduces their chances for survival, according to a recent study by the American Cancer Society, the New York Times reports. The study was published online on Monday on The Lancet Oncology’s Web site. For the study, researchers examined data from the National Cancer Database on 3.7 million people who were diagnosed with 12 types of cancer from 1998 to 2004.

The study found that among cancers that could be detected early through standard screening or assessment of symptoms — such as breast cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer and melanoma — uninsured patients were two to three times more likely than those with private coverage to be diagnosed in Stage III or Stage IV rather than Stage I. Smaller disparities were found in the diagnosis of non-Hodgkins lymphoma and cancers of the bladder, kidney, prostate, thyroid, uterus, ovary and pancreas.

The study’s authors determined that “individuals without private insurance are not receiving optimum care in terms of cancer screening or timely diagnosis and follow-up with health care providers” and that advanced-stage diagnosis “leads to increased morbidity, decreased quality of life and survival and, often, increased costs.”

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