In a study published in The Oncologist, Dr. Aryana Sepassi, Dr. Alexandre Chan, and their fellow researchers shared their findings regarding colorectal cancer concerns among rural residents, as compared to people living in urban settings.
“Rural-Urban Disparities in Colorectal Cancer Screening, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Survivorship Care: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis” examines differences in how colorectal cancer is discovered and addressed, depending on where a patient lives. This analysis was the first to evaluate the current literature on rural-urban disparities of care for colorectal cancer patients and survivors and was the first to address the issue of research limitations in this area. Meng Li, Jason Zell, Ila M. Saunders, and Dana B. Mukamel also contributed to the publication.
People in rural areas generally have more health issues than people in urban areas, due to limited medical resources and economic constraints (including higher rates of uninsured people).
This study illuminated disparities in the rates of colorectal cancer screening among the researched populations.
“We found that individuals living in rural areas are a lot less likely to report receiving any type of colorectal cancer screening,” said Dr. Sepassi. “However, among rural and urban individuals of those with a colorectal cancer (CRC) diagnosis, there doesn’t appear to be any notable differences in who receives more or better treatment or a better prognosis.”
The team’s findings further expose vulnerabilities in the healthcare system that affect those living in rural areas.
“These results are important because it indicates a persistent gap in the receipt of CRC screening for rural individuals, despite major key policies that have been established to help reduce this gap (such as the Affordable Care Act),” Dr. Sepassi stated.
Because of the novel nature of this study, the research team faced challenges; in particular, an inconsistent understanding of the term “rural” presented issues in their attempts to identify trends and patterns.
“We found that the definition of what is considered ‘rural’ is highly variable from study to study,” Dr. Sepassi shared. “The lack of a standardized definition for rurality in research makes it difficult to synthesize findings and come to a conclusive observation.”
As a pioneering study, this research is the beginning of efforts to further examine care that is available for people at every stage of colorectal cancer screening, diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship.
“Our analysis found that only one study evaluated differences in CRC survivorship care among rural and urban individuals. Our next step is to conduct a study to evaluate those individuals more closely,” Dr. Sepassi explained.
