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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Cancer

Disparities in Melanoma Incidence and Mortality in Rural Versus Urban Michigan
Examines rural versus urban disparities in disease stage and disease-specific mortality of melanoma patients in Michigan. Analyzes 2014-2018 data from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to observe county-level melanoma rates. Includes demographic breakdowns by age, gender, and residence, as well as discussions about potential causes of rural disparities.
Author(s): Richard A. Shellenberger, Timothy M. Johnson, Fatima Fayyaz, et al.
Citation: Cancer Reports, 6(2), e1713
Date: 02/2023
Type: Document
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Designing Home-Based Physical Activity Programs for Rural Cancer Survivors: A Survey of Technology Access and Preferences
Results of a survey of 298 adults with cancer on demographics, cancer characteristics, technology use and access, current physical activity, and preferred home-based physical activity program characteristics. Includes rural versus nonrural comparisons.
Author(s): Elizabeth A. Salerno, Rohana Gao, Jason Fanning, et al.
Citation: Frontiers in Oncology, 13, 1061641
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
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Association of Rurality with Utilization of Palliative Care and Hospice among Medicare Beneficiaries Who Died from Pancreatic Cancer: A Cohort Study
Explores the association between the rurality of patient residence and the use of palliative care and hospice among Medicare decedents with pancreatic cancer between 2016 and 2018. Also examines the use of palliative care at least 90 days after diagnosis and before death and hospice care at least three days before death. Presents data by metropolitan, micropolitan, small town, and rural classifications.
Author(s): Niveditta Ramkumar, Qianfei Wang, Gabriel A. Brooks, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 39(3), 557-564
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
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Radiotherapy Deserts: The Impact of Race, Poverty, and the Rural-Urban Continuum on Density of Providers and the Use of Radiation Therapy in the US
Investigates the prevalence of radiotherapy deserts for prostate cancer (PC) and invasive breast cancer (BC) at the county level in the United States. Analyzes physicians to persons at risk (PPR) and use to persons at risk (UPR) according to gender, race/ethnicity, poverty level, and metro versus non-metro county. Includes U.S. maps depicting death and incidence rate hot zones, high PPR density, high UPR density, and more.
Author(s): Anna W. LaVigne, Theodore L. DeWeese, Jean L. Wright, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Radiation Oncology, 116(1), 17-27
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
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Cancer Disproportionately Impacts Adults Living in Rural Areas
Analyzes cancer disparities in metro and nonmetro areas across the U.S. as well as select states that did not expand Medicaid coverage: Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. Utilizes multiple data sources to examine cancer incidence, mortality, and survival rates in metro and nonmetro areas.
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: The National Grange
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Improving Colorectal Cancer Screening in Rural Primary Care: Preliminary Effectiveness and Implementation of a Collaborative Mailed Fecal Immunochemical Test Pilot
Examines the feasibility of implementing a mailed fecal immunochemical test (FIT) program in rural clinics to improve screening rates for colorectal cancer (CRC). Discusses the effectiveness of additional strategies in FIT programs such as auto-calling and live reminder calls from clinics. Provides data on screening success rates and qualitative feedback from clinic staff on the program.
Author(s): Melinda M. Davis, Jen Coury, Jean Hiebert Larson, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 39(1), 279-290
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
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The State of Health in Tennessee: 2023 Annual Report to the 113th Tennessee General Assembly
Provides a comprehensive overview of health in Tennessee, including health outcomes of individuals and information on the health of the state's healthcare system. Includes statistics on rural hospitals that have closed in recent years, and those at risk of closure as of 2022. Features county-level maps showing Health Professional Shortage Areas.
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Tennessee Department of Health
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Pre-Pandemic Geographic Access to Hospital-Based Telehealth for Cancer Care in the United States
Explores the availability of telehealth and oncology services across geographic and sociodemographic domains before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Utilizes 2019 and 2020 data sources to examine hospital characteristics by telehealth and oncology services, with information on hospital ownership, number of hospital beds, Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) status, presence of Rural Health Clinic (RHC) co-located at hospital, and more. Includes availability of telehealth, oncology, and hospital services broken down by county; HPSA status; income, average age, and race/ethnicity of residents; ratio of population to primary care physicians; rural noncore, rural micropolitan, or urban status; and more.
Author(s): David I. Shalowitz, Peiyin Hung, Whitney E. Zahnd, Jan Eberth
Citation: PLoS One, 18(1)
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
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Geographic Access to Pediatric Cancer Care in the US
Examines estimated travel time for various populations to access pediatric cancer care in the United States. Analyzes data from more than 90 million children and adolescents and young adults (AYAs) extracted from 2015-2019 American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Includes demographic breakdowns of median travel time by race/ethnicity, age, health insurance status, area deprivation index (ADI), U.S. region, and urban, large town, small town, or rural location. Provides maps that show travel time from population centroids of U.S. ZIP code tabulation areas as well as per capita pediatric oncologist supply by Census division and state.
Author(s): Xiaohui Liu, Mark N. Fluchel, Anne C. Kirchhoff, Haojie Zhu, Tracy Onega
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 6(1), e2251524
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
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Shorter Time to Treatment Is Associated With Improved Survival in Rural Patients With Breast Cancer Despite Other Adverse Socioeconomic Factors
Analyzes the relationship between time to treatment initiation (TTI) and overall survival (OS) of cancer patients. Examines 1,205,031 women with breast cancer from 2004 to 2012 by socioeconomic and demographic information, with data further broken down by rural versus urban location.
Author(s): Minh-Tri Nguyen, Wei Wei, Gregory Cooper, Alok A. Khorana, Suneel D. Kamath
Citation: Oncology, 37(1), 19-24
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
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