Patient factors, health care factors and survival from lung cancer according to ethnic group in the south of London, UK.

International and UK data suggest that there are ethnic differences in survival for some malignancies. The aim of the present study was to identify any health inequalities related to lung cancer and ethnicity. Data on 423 patients with a diagnosis of lung cancer treated at a large specialist cancer hospital in London UK were analysed. Data on stage of disease at diagnosis, co-morbidities, socio-economic status, treatments received and survival were collected and examined for differences by ethnic group. There was a significant difference between black and minority ethnic (BME) patients and White-European patients in socio-economic status (Chi-square test P-value < 0.001). BME patients were over-represented in the most deprived socio-economic groups and under-represented in the most affluent. There were no significant differences in histology, stage of disease, co-morbidities and performance status or treatments received between the different ethnic groups. Ethnicity was not associated with survival. Significant prognostic factors for overall survival were performance status (P < 0.001), stage of disease (P = 0.001) and gender (P = 0.003). Our findings suggest that patients from BME groups are over-represented in more deprived socio-economic groups; however, this did not impact on significant prognostic factors or the treatments that they received. Importantly ethnicity did not influence survival.