This study aimed to identify the association between moving to a high-volume hospital and the mortality of patients with cancer living in the district. The study population comprised participants diagnosed with cancer within the past nine years (2004-2012). The final sample included 8197 patients with cancer, 3939 were males (48.1%), and 4258 were females (51.9%). A Cox proportional hazard model was used to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) for death. Confounding variables including sex, age, type of social security, income level, disability, and utilization volume were incorporated into the model. Among patients with cancer living in the district, 2874 (35.1%) used healthcare services in Seoul. About 10% (n = 834) of patients died during the follow-up period. The HR for death in females (HR: 0.68, 95% CI: 0.58-0.81) was lower than that in males. Additionally, the HR for the death of patients using healthcare services in Seoul (HR: 1.30, 95% CI: 1.11-1.53) was higher than those patients who did not use healthcare services in Seoul. Among patients utilizing services in the province, wealthier patients' survival probability was significantly higher than that of others. The cause of income differences should be identified, and accessibility to medical use of low-income families should be enhanced to prevent mortality of patients from cancer disparities.
Keywords: cancer; income; mortality; patient movement.