Addressing Public Health Aspects of Cancer Center Catchment Areas

Serving the catchment area has become an integral mission of cancer centers, and examining the geographic extent of cancer coverage is an important component aimed at efficiently maximizing care and reducing the cancer burden. In addition to cancer incidence and mortality, geographic analyses of cancer center coverage must also be measured by the need for reducing the prevalence of risk factors and increasing screening rates within communities. Here, we briefly comment on these additional parameters and their relevance to analyzing cancer coverage across the United States. See related article by Leader et al., p. 955.