This variation in survival is not easily explained but could be related to stage of disease at presentation or treatment delivery, or both of these. The relation between poverty and ill health has been researched for more than 100 years. No single, generally agreed definition of deprivation exists. Deprivation is a concept that overlaps but is not synonymous with poverty. Absolute poverty can be defined as the absence of the minimum resources for physical survival, whereas relative poverty relates to the standards of living in a particular society.
Deprivation includes material, social, and multiple deprivation.
The incidence of colorectal cancer is higher in men than women among each of the seven deprivation categories in Scotland, although incidence varies little with deprivation category. Survival, however, clearly improves with decreasing deprivation. At each milestone, there is a notable gradient in survival, with the most affluent doing best and the least affluent doing worst. The reasons that such variations exist are unclear and highlight an important priority for research. Different populations worldwide experience different levels of colorectal cancer, and these levels change with time.