What SDOH Data Reveals About Cancer Care Gaps

Accessible patient care is essential to better outcomes. Yet too often, patients are delayed or denied care because of barriers hiding in plain sight.

Social drivers of health (SDOH), or the social and economic conditions that influence health, play a critical role in whether care is timely, reachable, and effective. Most health outcomes are shaped in the neighborhoods, homes, workplaces, and schools where people live their daily lives.

For many patients, particularly those in marginalized communities, these factors compound existing inequities and restrict access at every stage of the care journey. The result is missed opportunities for early intervention, delayed care, and widening health inequities.

Bringing hidden patient barriers into focus

When SDOH data is combined with real-world data, it adds the context traditional datasets alone cannot provide. It exposes where access breaks down, highlights the populations most affected, and reveals where earlier, more targeted intervention has the potential to meaningfully change outcomes.

With this visibility, disparities could shift from abstract challenges to solvable problems.

SDOH in cancer care: When context shapes outcomes

The impact of SDOH in cancer care becomes clear when social and economic context is layered into screening and treatment data. The following case studies illustrate how social factors can translate into real-world screening and treatment access and where intervention has the potential to make the greatest difference.

The breast cancer screening divide

Breast cancer screening is one of the most effective tools for early detection and improved outcomes, but access to screening remains uneven across populations.

A retrospective study analyzed breast cancer screening rate trends from 2017-2023, analyzing the impact of insurance type, region, age group, and income on access to screening. By using real-world claims data linked with SDOH insights, researchers found:

• Women insured through Medicaid consistently had the lowest screening rates
• Income was the strongest driver of screening disparities across all payer types
• Education level, English proficiency, living arrangement, and geography played smaller but persistent roles

These findings show how payer type and socioeconomic conditions intersect to shape access. Missed screenings are rarely about awareness. More often, they reflect access barriers tied to SDOH in cancer care.

The blockade to CAR T-cell therapy access

CAR T-cell therapy has transformed treatment for certain blood cancers, offering new hope for patients with relapsed or treatment-resistant disease. But access to this breakthrough remains uneven.

An analysis of patients with large B-cell lymphoma used real-world claims data linked with SDOH insights to examine disparities in who ultimately receives CAR T therapy. The findings revealed clear access gaps:

• Each additional year of age reduced the likelihood of receiving CAR T
• Women were less likely than men to receive therapy
• Black patients were less likely to receive CAR T than White patients
• Patients in the lowest income group were less likely to receive therapy

As advanced therapies continue to evolve, innovation in treatment must be matched by innovation in care delivery and access. Without addressing SDOH in cancer care, the promise of breakthrough therapies remains out of reach for many patients.

Break down barriers. Build up patient care.

Understanding access barriers is only the beginning. Real impact comes from applying SDOH insight to guide smarter, more intentional decisions across care delivery.

Evidence-based strategies enable:

• Identification of patient populations likely to miss screening or delay treatment
• Smarter referral pathways that account for travel time and support needs
• Targeted financial and logistical assistance programs

• Data-backed evaluation of variation in referral and treatment pathways

Transforming patient care

By connecting SDOH in cancer care with real-world data, organizations gain the clarity needed to close access gaps and improve outcomes across the care continuum.

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