Dennis

Abstract
Rapid advances in the field of medical imaging, drug development and genomics have paved the way for revolutions in the way breast cancer in treated and managed, such that the five-year survival for breast cancer in Canada averages 88%. Despite advances in treatment and overall survival, vast disparities by material advantage or disadvantage occur across the entire breast cancer care continuum. As a result, individuals lower down the socioeconomic ladder are more likely to have cancer diagnosed at a later stage, and have less availability to basic resources such as nutritious food and prescription drug coverage. In Canada, increasing austerity measures have resulted in higher levels of income inequality, deepening poverty, homelessness and growing precarious working conditions. The purpose of this paper is to describe the ramifications of spending cuts, and social structural inequality on the cancer care trajectory. By using the example of breast cancer care, this paper serves to advance the discussion of what it means to consider the intersections of power, resources and opportunities in creating gendered social inequality, and the implications of such ‘structures of constraint  for women experiencing cancer. Through this illustration we are able to conceptualise that the foundations of health equity are built upon social equity, and one cannot be achieved without the other.
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