Socio-demographic factors, tumor characteristics, treatments administered, and survival in cancer patients in a prison hospitalization unit: a retrospective cohort comparison with matched community controls

Incarcerated cancer patients presented a higher prevalence of risk factors but received similar oncological treatments compared to community controls. Survival was poorer for head and neck cancers and unexpectedly better for lung cancer, although these findings should be interpreted cautiously due to the small sample size. The integrated prison-hospital model may reduce treatment disparities, but barriers to early diagnosis and follow-up remain.