The interaction of rurality and rare cancers for travel time to cancer care.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

Geographic access to cancer care is known to significantly impact utilization and outcomes. Longer travel times have negative impacts for patients requiring highly specialized care, such as for rare cancers, and for those in rural areas. Scant population-based research informs geographic access to care for rare cancers and whether rurality impacts that access.

Methods

Using Medicare data (2014-2015), we identified prevalent cancers and cancer-directed surgeries, chemotherapy, and radiation. We classified cancers as rare (incidence <6/100,000/year) or common (incidence ≥6/100,000/year) using previously published thresholds and categorized rurality from ZIP code of beneficiary residence. We estimated travel time between beneficiaries and providers for each service base

SUBMITTER: Onega T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10801702 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature