Introduction
Cancer is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Previous research has observed disparities in cancer diagnosis, care and outcomes among people who have been marginalised, including incarcerated populations. Evidence suggests an excess burden of cancer among people who experience incarceration. Currently, no reviews have synthesised quantitative evidence on all types of cancer prevalence, incidence, mortality and survival, stratifying by both cancer type and sex and gender, among people who experience incarceration, compared with those who do not, globally. The objective of this review will be to describe cancer prevalence, incidence, mortality and survival among people who experience incarceration and assess the epidemiological association between incarceration and these outcomes.
Methods and analysis
Peer-reviewed studies that will be included must report on individuals of at least one sex or gender who are currently or formerly incarcerated in correctional facilities under any legal status and report on cancer prevalence, incidence, mortality, stage at diagnosis and/or survival with or without a comparator group. Studies to be included must employ original quantitative or mixed-methods designs in which quantitative data are reported separately. Searches will be conducted in January 2027 in MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Web of Science and Sociological Abstracts, and we will review reference lists. Two independent reviewers will conduct title, abstract and full-text screening and, for included studies, complete data extraction and assess methodological quality using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. We will calculate pooled prevalence rates, incidence rates and effect estimates using a random-effects model. Heterogeneity and publication bias will be assessed by I
2
and visual inspection of the funnel plot, respectively.
Ethics and dissemination
This review will use aggregate data from published studies; therefore, ethical approval is not required. Findings will be shared through peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations. The protocol has been registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO; CRD420261408922).
