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Rural–urban disparities in use of post-lumpectomy radiation

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Abstract

We hypothesized that breast cancer (BCa) patients in urban counties would have higher rates of post-lumpectomy radiation therapy (RT) relative to patients in near-metro and rural counties. We used the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database to identify women diagnosed with BCa treated with lumpectomy in the Sacramento area between 2000 and 2006. Patient counties were categorized as urban and near-metro. Multivariate logistic regression models predicted treatment with RT. Likelihood of undergoing RT was reported as odds ratios (OR) with 95 % confidence intervals (CI). Of 7,953 patients meeting entry criteria, 5,858 (73.7 %) underwent RT. On multivariate analysis, patients from near-metro (OR, 0.66; CI, 0.59–0.75; P < 0.001) and rural (OR 0.39, CI 0.30–0.52; P < 0.001) areas had a decreased likelihood of undergoing RT relative to patients from urban areas. Patients from near-metro and rural areas are less likely to receive RT following lumpectomy for BCa than their urban counterparts.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the Landgraf Memorial Research Award and Grant Number UL1 RR024146 from the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and NIH Roadmap for Medical Research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology, University of California at Davis, Sacramento, CA, USA

    Steve R. Martinez, Dhruvil R. Shah, Warren H. Tseng, Robert J. Canter & Richard J. Bold

  2. UC Davis Cancer Center, 4501 X Street, Suite 3010, Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA

    Steve R. Martinez

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  1. Steve R. Martinez
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  2. Dhruvil R. Shah
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  3. Warren H. Tseng
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  4. Robert J. Canter
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  5. Richard J. Bold
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Correspondence to Steve R. Martinez.

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The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NCRR or NIH. Information on NCRR is available at http://www.ncrr.nih.gov/. Information on Re-engineering the Clinical Research Enterprise can be obtained from http://nihroadmap.nih.gov/clinicalresearch/overview-translational.asp.

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Martinez, S.R., Shah, D.R., Tseng, W.H. et al. Rural–urban disparities in use of post-lumpectomy radiation. Med Oncol 29, 3250–3257 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12032-012-0266-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12032-012-0266-0

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