Comparative analysis of breast and lung cancer survival rates and clinical trial enrollments among rural and urban patients in Georgia

TL;DR

This study examines cancer survival and clinical trial enrollment differences between rural and urban patients in Georgia, finding no significant disparities in survival but differences in trial enrollment by cancer type.

Contribution

The study provides new insights into rural-urban cancer disparities in Georgia, focusing on survival and clinical trial enrollment.

Findings

Five-year survival rates were comparable between rural and urban breast and lung cancer patients.

Clinical trial enrollment rates varied significantly between breast and lung cancer patients.

No significant variation in clinical trial enrollment was found based on rural or urban classification.

Abstract

Rural patients have poor cancer outcomes and clinical trial (CT) enrollment compared to urban patients due to attitudinal, awareness, and healthcare access differential. Knowledge of cancer survival disparities and CT enrollment is important for designing interventions and innovative approaches to address the stated barriers. The study explores the potential disparities in cancer survival rates and clinical trial enrollments in rural and urban breast and lung cancer patients. Our hypotheses are that for both cancer types, urban cancer patients will have longer 5-year survival rates and higher enrollment rates in clinical trials than those in rural counties.

We compared breast and lung cancer patients’ survival rates and enrollment ratios in clinical trials between rural (RUCC 4-9) and urban counties in Georgia at a Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCC). To assess these differences, we carried out a series of independent samples t-tests and Chi-Square tests.

The outcomes indicate comparable 5-year survival rates across rural and urban counties for breast and lung cancer patients, failing to substantiate our hypothesis. While clinical trial enrollment rates demonstrated a significant difference between breast and lung cancer patients at CCC, no significant variation was observed based on rural or urban classification.

These findings underscore the need for further research into the representation of rural patients with diverse cancer types at CCC and other cancer centers. Further, the findings have considerable implications for the initiation of positive social change to improve CT participation and reduce cancer survival disparities.