HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Google Scholar Articles by Westin, S. N. Articles by Ramondetta, L. M. PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Westin, S. N. Articles by Ramondetta, L. M. Related Collections Gynecologic oncology

Social Factors Affecting Treatment of Cervical Cancer

Ethical Issues and Policy Implications

From the ¹Department of Gynecologic Oncology, the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas; ²Chronic Disease Research Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas; and ³Division of Epidemiology, the University of Texas Health Science Center, School of Public Health, Houston, Texas.

Health care in the United States has become a privilege rather than a right. Patients who have the greatest need are the ones most likely to be denied this privilege. Despite recent advances in disease detection and treatment, many patients do not receive even the bare minimum of care. The high complexity of the health care system in the setting of patients with low levels of health literacy significantly affects the ability to seek and receive treatment in a timely fashion. In addition, lack of insurance, transportation, and social support further complicate access to care. To truly provide a standard of care to all patients, regardless of resources, our health care system must evolve to address the needs of the population. In this paper, we report a tragic case where social factors affected the outcome of a single mother with advanced cervical cancer.