Regional variation in breast cancer survival in Finland
Hasan, Md Foqrul (2025)
2025
Master's Programme in Public and Global Health
Yhteiskuntatieteiden tiedekunta - Faculty of Social Sciences
Hyväksymispäivämäärä
2025-06-27
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202506267436
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202506267436
Tiivistelmä
Background: Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among Finnish women and a leading cause of cancer-related death. Survival outcomes in Finland are among the highest globally, with five-year relative survival approaching 90%. Given the country’s universal healthcare system, this study aimed to describe the variation in five- and ten-year relative survival from breast cancer across the 23 welfare regions in Finland from 2000 to 2022 to identify potential regional disparities in outcomes.
Materials and Methods: We performed a nationwide registry-based cohort study by using Finnish Cancer Registry (FCR) data for all female breast cancers diagnosed in 2000–2022 (100,046 patients). Five-year and ten-year survival were compared across 23 welfare regions. Relative survival ratios (RSRs) were calculated for each region (age-standardized to adjust for age differences).
Results: Five-year RSR improved from 88% in 2000–2004 to 92% by 2015–2019, and ten-year RSR rose from 82% in 2000-2004 to 87% in 2010-2014. Median age at diagnosis increased over time (from around 57 years in 2000–2004 to 63 years by 2010–2014) and varied modestly between regions. The overall median age at diagnosis was 63.4 years. In each period, a few regions had slightly lower or higher survival than the national average, but differences were small (<10 percentage points). No region showed a consistent survival disadvantage over time, indicating an absence of substantial regional disparities.
Conclusion: Breast cancer survival in Finland showed no major regional gaps. All regions had comparably high and improving 5- and 10-year survival, suggesting that breast cancer care is delivered equitably across the country.
Materials and Methods: We performed a nationwide registry-based cohort study by using Finnish Cancer Registry (FCR) data for all female breast cancers diagnosed in 2000–2022 (100,046 patients). Five-year and ten-year survival were compared across 23 welfare regions. Relative survival ratios (RSRs) were calculated for each region (age-standardized to adjust for age differences).
Results: Five-year RSR improved from 88% in 2000–2004 to 92% by 2015–2019, and ten-year RSR rose from 82% in 2000-2004 to 87% in 2010-2014. Median age at diagnosis increased over time (from around 57 years in 2000–2004 to 63 years by 2010–2014) and varied modestly between regions. The overall median age at diagnosis was 63.4 years. In each period, a few regions had slightly lower or higher survival than the national average, but differences were small (<10 percentage points). No region showed a consistent survival disadvantage over time, indicating an absence of substantial regional disparities.
Conclusion: Breast cancer survival in Finland showed no major regional gaps. All regions had comparably high and improving 5- and 10-year survival, suggesting that breast cancer care is delivered equitably across the country.