Differences in Rural Versus Urban Patients With Prostate Cancer in Diagnosis and Treatment: An Analysis of a Population-Based Cohort
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View abstract on PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.Rural prostate cancer patients face significant disparities in care, including fewer biopsy cores and less use of active surveillance for low-risk disease compared to urban counterparts.
Area Of Science
- Oncology
- Public Health
- Health Services Research
Background
- Rural populations experience greater barriers to cancer care and poorer outcomes.
- Prostate cancer patients in rural areas may have reduced access and different treatment patterns compared to urban patients.
Purpose Of The Study
- To compare prostate cancer diagnosis, access to care, and treatment between rural and urban patients.
- To investigate geographic disparities in prostate cancer care delivery.
Main Methods
- Utilized a population-based prospective cohort: the North Carolina Prostate Cancer Comparative Effectiveness and Survivorship Study.
- Classified residence as urban (RUCC 1-3) or rural (RUCC 4-9) using the 2013 rural-urban continuum code.
- Compared diagnostic and treatment differences based on geographic residence.
Main Results
- Rural patients (25% of cohort) were less likely to be White, had lower income/education, and received fewer biopsy cores (47.1% vs 35.7%).
- Rural patients had less multidisciplinary consultation (40.8% vs 47.6%) and less active surveillance/observation, particularly for low-risk cancer (33.2% vs 40.7%).
- Multivariable analysis confirmed rural residence is associated with less active surveillance over radical treatment for low-risk prostate cancer (OR, 0.49).
Conclusions
- Rural prostate cancer patients encounter clinically meaningful differences in care, including diagnostic biopsy and treatment utilization.
- Fewer biopsy cores, less multidisciplinary consultation, and reduced use of active surveillance for low-risk disease highlight rural-urban disparities.
- Further research is needed to develop interventions addressing these care gaps and mitigate disparities.
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