What is already known about this topic?
While social inequality in cancer has been documented over the past
decade or so, knowledge about patients’ social circumstances (e.g.
employment and family relationships), social network, educational
background, health literacy and mental wellbeing is not routinely
assessed in medical practice. This is a problem, since research points
to the advantages of healthcare professionals (HPs) systematically
registering patients’ social data and using the information when
communicating with them about their treatment.