Rural-Urban Disparities in Cancer Care-Analyzing Routinely Collected Patient-Reported Outcomes. A Cross-Sectional Study.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Rural-urban disparities in cancer care are well documented. However, research on rural-urban disparities regarding patient-reported outcomes (PROs) is still developing. This study analyzed rural-urban disparities in patients with cancer with respect to anxiety, depression, fatigue, pain interference, and physical function.

Methods

This study was conducted at the University of Utah Huntsman Cancer Institute. We integrated data from electronic health records, Cancer Registry, and PRO questionnaires. We assessed the association between rurality status (rural vs. urban) in patients with cancer and PRO scores using multiple linear regression models and t-tests.

Results

The cohort included 7271 patients. The mean age was 59.1 years at cancer diagnosis and 48.2% (n

SUBMITTER: Ose DJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11997707 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature