Access to healthcare and disparities in colorectal cancer survival in Texas

Providers' and survivors' perspectives on the availability and accessibility of surgery in gastrointestinal cancer care

BACKGROUND

Surgery is essential for gastrointestinal (GI) cancer treatment. Many patients lack access to surgical care that optimizes outcomes. Scarce availability and/or low accessibility of appropriate resources may be the reason for this, especially in economically disadvantaged areas. This study aimed to investigate providers' and survivors' perspectives on barriers and facilitators to the availability and accessibility of surgical care.

METHODS

Semistructured interviews informed by surgical disparities and access-to-care conceptual frameworks with purposively selected GI cancer providers and survivors in Alabama and Mississippi were conducted. Survivors were within 3 years of diagnosis of stage I to III esophageal, pancreatic, or colorectal cancer. Transcripts were analyzed using inductive thematic and content analysis techniques. Intercoder agreement was reached at 90 %.

RESULTS

The 27 providers included surgeons (n = 11), medical oncologists (n = 2), radiation oncologists (n = 2), a primary care physician (n = 1), nurses (n = 8), and patient navigators (n = 3). This study included 36 survivors with ages ranging from 44 to 87 years. Of the 36 survivors, 21 (58.3 %) were male, and 11 (30.6 %) identified as Black. Responses were grouped into 3 broad categories: (i) transportation/geographic location, (ii) specialized care/testing, and (iii) patient-/provider-related factors. The barriers included lack and cost of transportation, reluctance to travel because of uneasiness with urban centers, low availability of specialized care, overburdened referral centers, provider-related referral biases, and low health literacy. Facilitators included availability of charitable aid, centralizing multidisciplinary care, and efficient appointment scheduling.

CONCLUSION

In the Deep South, barriers and facilitators to the availability and accessibility of GI surgical cancer care were identified at the health system, provider, and patient levels, especially for rural residents. Our data suggest targets for improving the use of surgery in GI cancer care.

An integrated approach to analyze equitable access to food stores under disasters from human mobility patterns

Limited access to food stores is often linked to higher health risks and lower community resilience. Socially vulnerable populations experience persistent disparities in equitable food store access. However, little research has been done to examine how people's access to food stores is affected by natural disasters. Previous studies mainly focus on examining potential access using the travel distance to the nearest food store, which often falls short of capturing the actual access of people. Therefore, to fill this gap, this paper incorporates human mobility patterns into the measure of actual access, leveraging large-scale mobile phone data. Specifically, we propose a novel enhanced two-step floating catchment area method with travel preferences (E2SFCA-TP) to measure accessibility, which extends the traditional E2SFCA model by integrating actual human mobility behaviors. We then analyze people's actual access to grocery and convenience stores across both space and time under the devastating winter storm Uri in Harris County, Texas. Our results highlight the value of using human mobility patterns to better reflect people's actual access behaviors. The proposed E2SFCA-TP measure is more capable of capturing mobility variations in people's access, compared with the traditional E2SFCA measure. This paper provides insights into food store access across space and time, which could aid decision making in resource allocation to enhance accessibility and mitigate the risk of food insecurity in underserved areas.

A Shared-Frailty Spatial Scan Statistic Model for Time-to-Event Data

Spatial scan statistics are well-known methods widely used to detect spatial clusters of events. Furthermore, several spatial scan statistics models have been applied to the spatial analysis of time-to-event data. However, these models do not take account of potential correlations between the observations of individuals within the same spatial unit or potential spatial dependence between spatial units. To overcome this problem, we have developed a scan statistic based on a Cox model with shared frailty and that takes account of the spatial dependence between spatial units. In simulation studies, we found that (i) conventional models of spatial scan statistics for time-to-event data fail to maintain the type I error in the presence of a correlation between the observations of individuals within the same spatial unit and (ii) our model performed well in the presence of such correlation and spatial dependence. We have applied our method to epidemiological data and the detection of spatial clusters of mortality in patients with end-stage renal disease in northern France.

Enhancing Health Care Accessibility and Equity Through a Geoprocessing Toolbox for Spatial Accessibility Analysis: Development and Case Study

BACKGROUND

Access to health care services is a critical determinant of population health and well-being. Measuring spatial accessibility to health services is essential for understanding health care distribution and addressing potential inequities.

OBJECTIVE

In this study, we developed a geoprocessing toolbox including Python script tools for the ArcGIS Pro environment to measure the spatial accessibility of health services using both classic and enhanced versions of the 2-step floating catchment area method.

METHODS

Each of our tools incorporated both distance buffers and travel time catchments to calculate accessibility scores based on users' choices. Additionally, we developed a separate tool to create travel time catchments that is compatible with both locally available network data sets and ArcGIS Online data sources. We conducted a case study focusing on the accessibility of hemodialysis services in the state of Tennessee using the 4 versions of the accessibility tools. Notably, the calculation of the target population considered age as a significant nonspatial factor influencing hemodialysis service accessibility. Weighted populations were calculated using end-stage renal disease incidence rates in different age groups.

RESULTS

The implemented tools are made accessible through ArcGIS Online for free use by the research community. The case study revealed disparities in the accessibility of hemodialysis services, with urban areas demonstrating higher scores compared to rural and suburban regions.

CONCLUSIONS

These geoprocessing tools can serve as valuable decision-support resources for health care providers, organizations, and policy makers to improve equitable access to health care services. This comprehensive approach to measuring spatial accessibility can empower health care stakeholders to address health care distribution challenges effectively.

Gravity models for potential spatial healthcare access measurement: a systematic methodological review

BACKGROUND

Quantifying spatial access to care-the interplay of accessibility and availability-is vital for healthcare planning and understanding implications of services (mal-)distribution. A plethora of methods aims to measure potential spatial access to healthcare services. The current study conducts a systematic review to identify and assess gravity model-type methods for spatial healthcare access measurement and to summarize the use of these measures in empirical research.

METHODS

A two-step approach was used to identify (1) methodological studies that presented a novel gravity model for measuring spatial access to healthcare and (2) empirical studies that applied one of these methods in a healthcare context. The review was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines. EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Scopus were searched in the first step. Forward citation search was used in the second step.

RESULTS

We identified 43 studies presenting a methodological development and 346 empirical application cases of those methods in 309 studies. Two major conceptual developments emerged: The Two-Step Floating Catchment Area (2SFCA) method and the Kernel Density (KD) method. Virtually all other methodological developments evolved from the 2SFCA method, forming the 2SFCA method family. Novel methodologies within the 2SFCA family introduced developments regarding distance decay within the catchment area, variable catchment area sizes, outcome unit, provider competition, local and global distance decay, subgroup-specific access, multiple transportation modes, and time-dependent access. Methodological developments aimed to either approximate reality, fit a specific context, or correct methodology. Empirical studies almost exclusively applied methods from the 2SFCA family while other gravity model types were applied rarely. Distance decay within catchment areas was frequently implemented in application studies, however, the initial 2SFCA method remains common in empirical research. Most empirical studies used the spatial access measure for descriptive purposes. Increasingly, gravity model measures also served as potential explanatory factor for health outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

Gravity models for measuring potential spatial healthcare access are almost exclusively dominated by the family of 2SFCA methods-both for methodological developments and applications in empirical research. While methodological developments incorporate increasing methodological complexity, research practice largely applies gravity models with straightforward intuition and moderate data and computational requirements.

Disparities among Black and Hispanic colorectal cancer patients: Findings from the California Cancer Registry

BACKGROUND

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer in California and second among Hispanic/Latinx (H/L) males. Data from the California Cancer Registry were utilized to investigate the differential impact on CRC outcomes from demographic and clinical characteristics among non-Hispanic white (NHW), non-Hispanic Black (NHB), U.S. born (USB), and non-U.S. born (NUSB) H/L patients diagnosed during 1995-2020.

METHODS

We identified 248,238 NHW, 28,433 NHB, and 62,747 H/L cases (32,402 NUSB and 30,345 USB). Disparities across groups were evaluated through case frequencies, odds ratios (OR) from logistic regression, and hazard ratios (HR) from Cox regression models. All statistical tests were two-sided.

RESULTS

NHB patients showed a higher proportion of colon tumors (75.8%) than NHW (71.5%), whereas both NUSB (65.9%) and USB (66.9%) H/L cases had less (p < 0.001). In multivariate models, NUSB H/L cases were 15% more likely than NHW to have rectal cancer. Compared to NHW, NHB cases had the greatest proportion of Stage IV diagnoses (26.0%) and were more likely to die of CRC (multivariate HR = 1.12; 95% CI = 1.10-1.15). Instead, NUSB H/L patients were less likely to die of CRC (multivariate HR = 0.87; 95% CI = 0.85-0.89) whereas USB H/L did not differ from NHW.

CONCLUSIONS

NHB and H/L cases have more adverse characteristics at diagnosis compared to NHW cases, with NHB cases being more likely to die from CRC. However, NUSB H/Ls cases showed better survival than NHW and US born H/L patients. These findings highlight the importance of considering nativity among H/L populations to understand cancer disparities.

Incorporating Exercise Efficiency to Evaluate the Accessibility and Capacity of Medical Resources in Tibet, China

Accessibility and capacity of medical resources are key for the health care and emergency response, while the efficiency of the medical resources is very much limited by hypoxia in Tibet, China. Through introducing exercise efficiency, this study explores the accessibility of township residence to county-ship medical resources in Tibet using weighted mean travel time (WMT), and evaluates the medical capacity accordingly. The results show that: 1) the average travel time of township residence to county-level hospital is around 2 h by motor vehicle in Tibet. More than half of the population can not reach the county-ship hospital within 1 h, 33.24% of the population can not reach within 2 h, and 3.75% of the population can not reach within 6 h. 2) When considering the catchment of the medical resources and the population size, the WMT of the county-ship medical resources ranges from 0.25 h to 10.92 h. 3) After adjusted by travel time and exercise efficiency, the county-ship medical capacity became more unequal, with 38 out of 74 counties could not meet the national guideline of 1.8 medical beds per 1000. 4) In total, there are 17 counties with good WMT and sufficient medical resources, while 13 counties having very high WMT and low capacity of medical resources in Tibet. In the end, suggestions on medical resources relocation and to improve the capacity are provided. This study provides a method to incorporate exercise efficiency to access the accessibility and evaluate medical capacity that can be applied in high altitude ranges.

ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL

Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at 10.1007/s11769-022-1321-1.

Disparities in geographic access to medical oncologists

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study is to identify disparities in geographic access to medical oncologists at the time of diagnosis.

DATA SOURCES/STUDY SETTING

2014-2016 Pennsylvania Cancer Registry (PCR), 2019 CMS Base Provider Enrollment File (BPEF), 2018 CMS Physician Compare, 2010 Rural-Urban Commuting Area Codes (RUCA), and 2015 Area Deprivation Index (ADI).

STUDY DESIGN

Spatial regressions were used to estimate associations between geographic access to medical oncologists, measured with an enhanced two-step floating catchment area measure, and demographic characteristics.

DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION METHODS

Medical oncologists were identified in the 2019 CMS BPEF and merged with the 2018 CMS Physician Compare. Provider addresses were converted to longitude-latitude using OpenCage Geocoder. Newly diagnosed cancer patients in each census tract were identified in the 2014-2016 PCR. Census tracts were classified based on rurality and socioeconomic status using the 2010 RUCA Codes and the 2015 ADI.

PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

Large towns and rural areas were associated with spatial access ratios (SPARs) that were 6.29 lower (95% CI -16.14 to 3.57) and 14.76 lower (95% CI -25.14 to -4.37) respectively relative to urban areas. Being in the fourth ADI quartile (highest disadvantage) was associated with a 12.41 lower SPAR (95% CI -19.50 to -5.33) relative to the first quartile. The observed difference in a census tract's non-White population from the 25th (1.3%) to the 75th percentile (13.7%) was associated with a 13.64 higher SPAR (Coefficient = 1.10, 95% CI 11.89 to 15.29; p < 0.01), roughly equivalent to the disadvantage associated with living in the fourth ADI quartile, where non-White populations are concentrated.

CONCLUSIONS

Rurality and low socioeconomic status were associated with lower geographic access to oncologists. The negative association between area deprivation and geographic access is of similar magnitude to the positive association between larger non-White populations and access. Policies aimed at increasing geographic access to care should be cognizant of both rurality and socioeconomic status.

Using GIS to Understand the Influence of Hurricane Harvey on Spatial Access to Primary Care

Hurricanes can have a significant impact on the functioning and capacity of healthcare systems. However, little work has been done to understand the extent to which hurricanes influence local residents' spatial access to healthcare. Our study evaluates the change in spatial access to primary care physicians (PCPs) between 2016 and 2018 (i.e., before and after Hurricane Harvey) in Harris County, Texas. We used an enhanced 2-step floating catchment area (E2SFCA) method to measure spatial access to PCPs at the census tract level. The results show that, despite an increased supply of PCPs across the county, most census tracts, especially those in the northern and eastern fringe areas, experienced decreased access during this period as measured by the spatial access ratio (SPAR). We explain this decline in SPAR by the shift in the spatial distribution of PCPs to the central areas of Harris County from the fringe areas after Harvey. We also examined the socio-demographic impact in the SPAR change and found little variation in change among different socio-demographic groups. Therefore, public health professionals and disaster managers may use our spatial access measure to highlight the geographic disparities in healthcare systems. In addition, we recommend considering other social and institutional dimensions of access, such as users' needs, preferences, resource capacity, mobility options, and quality of healthcare services, in building a resilient and inclusive post-hurricane healthcare system.

Socioeconomic status, access to care, risk factor patterns, and stage at diagnosis for head and neck cancer among black and white patients

BACKGROUND

Little is known about how factors combine to influence progression of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC). We aimed to evaluate multidimensional influences of factors associated with HNSCC stage by race.

METHODS

Using retrospective data, patients with similar socioeconomic status (SES), access to care (travel time/distance), and behavioral risk factors (tobacco/alcohol use and dental care) were grouped by latent class analysis. Relative frequency differences (RFD) were calculated to evaluate latent classes by stage, race, and p16 status.

RESULTS

We identified three latent classes. Advanced T-stage was higher for black (RFD = +20.2%; 95% CI: -4.6 to 44.9) than white patients (RFD = +10.7%; 95% CI: 2.1-19.3) in the low-SES/high-access/high-behavioral risk class and higher for both black (RFD = +29.6%; 95% CI: 4.7-54.5) and white patients (RFD = +23.9%; 95% CI: 15.2-32.6) in the low-SES/low-access/high-behavioral risk class.

CONCLUSION

Results suggest that SES, access to care, and behavioral risk factors combine to underly the association with advanced T-stage. Additionally, differences by race warrant further investigation.

Disentangling Racial, Ethnic, and Socioeconomic Disparities in Treatment for Colorectal Cancer

BACKGROUND

Colorectal cancer is curable if diagnosed early and treated properly. Black and Hispanic patients with colorectal cancer are more likely to experience treatment delays and/or receive lower standards of care. Socioeconomic deprivation may contribute to these disparities, but this has not been extensively quantified. We studied the interrelationship between patient race/ethnicity and neighborhood socioeconomic status (nSES) on receipt of timely appropriate treatment among patients with colorectal cancer in California.

METHODS

White, Black, and Hispanic patients (26,870) diagnosed with stage I-III colorectal cancer (2009-2013) in the California Cancer Registry were included. Logistic regression models were used to examine the association of race/ethnicity and nSES with three outcomes: undertreatment, >60-day treatment delay, and >90-day treatment delay. Joint effect models and mediation analysis were used to explore the interrelationships between race/ethnicity and nSES.

RESULTS

Hispanics and Blacks were at increased risk for undertreatment [Black OR = 1.39; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.23-1.57; Hispanic OR = 1.17; 95% CI = 1.08-1.27] and treatment delay (Black/60-day OR = 1.78; 95% CI = 1.57-2.02; Hispanic/60-day OR = 1.50; 95% CI = 1.38-1.64) compared with Whites. Of the total effect (OR = 1.15; 95% CI = 1.07-1.24) of non-white race on undertreatment, 45.71% was explained by nSES.

CONCLUSIONS

Lower nSES patients of any race were at substantially higher risk for undertreatment and treatment delay, and racial/ethnic disparities are reduced or eliminated among non-white patients living in the highest SES neighborhoods. Racial and ethnic disparities persisted after accounting for neighborhood socioeconomic status, and between the two, race/ethnicity explained a larger portion of the total effects.

IMPACT

This research improves our understanding of how socioeconomic deprivation contributes to racial/ethnic disparities in colorectal cancer.

Propensity Score Matching Analysis of the Effect of Payer Status on the Survival of Colon Cancer Patients

Background and objective

Colon cancer is one of the most common types of cancer globally. The factors that could affect colon cancer survival include age, stage, treatment, and other socioeconomic aspects. Payer status has been shown to be a significant predictor of cancer patient survival in retrospective studies. However, due to the limitations of retrospective studies, patient baseline characteristics between payer statuses are not comparable. Few studies have addressed the effect of payer status on the overall survival (OS) of patients using propensity score matching (PSM). In light of this, we conducted a study to examine the effect of payer status on the survival of colon cancer patients based on PSM.

Materials and methods 

About 66,493 stage II/III colon cancer patients aged 40-90 years and diagnosed between 2004 and 2015 were analyzed from a de-identified National Cancer Database (NCDB) file. All patients had undergone surgery, and patients who had received radiation therapy, hormone therapy, immunotherapy, palliative care, or therapies other than chemotherapy were excluded. Only private or Medicaid payer status was included. The propensity score was calculated by computing the probability of patients being in the Medicaid group using logistic regression. The PSMATCH procedure in the SAS software (SAS Inc., Gary, NC) was used to perform PSM on patients with Medicaid and private insurance. The greedy nearest neighbor matching method was used to match one Medicaid to one privately insured patient with a caliper of 0.2. At the same time, an exact match was done for gender, age group, race, and stage at diagnosis. Multivariate Cox regression was then used to estimate the effect of payer status on survival before and after PSM.

Results

Among the 66,493 patients, 90.3% were privately insured and 9.7% had Medicaid. In univariate analysis, payer status was found to be a significant predictor of OS. Prior to PSM, the median overall survival (MOS) for patients with private insurance was 12.75 years, while those with Medicaid had a MOS of 9.02 years. After PSM, 6,167 paired patients were matched, and patients with private insurance had a MOS of >12.82 years and Medicaid patients had a MOS of 8.88 years. After PSM, patients with Medicaid had a 50% increased risk of death, and payer status proved to be a statistically significant predictor of OS of colon cancer.

Conclusion

Based on our findings, as per the PSM method, payer status can be a significant predictor of survival among colon cancer patients. Also, chemotherapy, race, age, and other socioeconomic factors were also found to be significant predictors of OS. Further research should be conducted to investigate other covariates not studied here and the mediation effect of payer on the survival of cancer patients.

Use of the spatial access ratio to measure geospatial access to emergency general surgery services in California

BACKGROUND

Emergency general surgery (EGS) encompasses a spectrum of time-sensitive and resource-intensive conditions, which require adequate and timely access to surgical care. Developing metrics to accurately quantify spatial access to care is critical for this field. We sought to evaluate the ability of the spatial access ratio (SPAR), which incorporates travel time, hospital capacity, and population demand in its ability to measure spatial access to EGS care and delineate disparities.

METHODS

We constructed a geographic information science platform for EGS-capable hospitals in California and mapped population location, race, and socioeconomic characteristics. We compared the SPAR to the shortest travel time model in its ability to identify disparities in spatial access overall and for vulnerable populations. Reduced spatial access was defined as >60 minutes travel time or lowest three classes of SPAR.

RESULTS

A total of 283 EGS-capable hospitals were identified, of which 142 (50%) had advanced resources. Using shortest travel time, only 166,950 persons (0.4% of total population) experienced prolonged (>60 minutes) travel time to any EGS-capable hospital, which increased to 1.05 million (2.7%) for advanced-resource centers. Using SPAR, 11.5 million (29.5%) had reduced spatial access to any EGS hospital, and 13.9 million (35.7%) for advanced-resource centers. Rural residents had significantly decreased access for both overall and advanced EGS services when assessed by SPAR despite travel times within the 60-minute threshold.

CONCLUSION

While travel time and SPAR showed similar overall geographic patterns of spatial access to EGS hospitals, SPAR identified a greater a greater proportion of the population as having limited access to care. Nearly one third of California residents experience reduced spatial access to EGS hospitals when assessed by SPAR. Metrics that incorporate measures of population demand and hospital capacity in addition to travel time may be useful when assessing spatial access to surgical services.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Cross-sectional study, level VI.

Seizures Among Patients With Brain Metastases: A Population- and Institutional-Level Analysis

OBJECTIVE

To test the hypothesis that subets of patients with brain metastases (BrM) without seizures at intracranial presentation are at increased risk for developing seizures, we characterized the incidence and risk factors for seizure development among seizure-naive patients with BrMs.

METHODS

We identified 15,863 and 1,453 patients with BrM utilizing Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare data (2008-2016) and Brigham and Women's Hospital/Dana Farber Cancer Institute (2000-2015) institutional data, respectively. Cumulative incidence curves and Fine/Gray competing risks regression were used to characterize seizure incidence and risk factors, respectively.

RESULTS

Among SEER-Medicare and institutional patients, 1,588 (10.0%) and 169 (11.6%) developed seizures, respectively. On multivariable regression of the SEER-Medicare cohort, Black vs White race (hazard ratio [HR] 1.45 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.22-1.73], p < 0.001), urban vs nonurban residence (HR 1.41 [95% CI, 1.17-1.70], p < 0.001), melanoma vs non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) as primary tumor type (HR 1.44 [95% CI, 1.20-1.73], p < 0.001), and receipt of brain-directed stereotactic radiation (HR 1.67 [95% CI, 1.44-1.94], p < 0.001) were associated with greater seizure risk. On multivariable regression of the institutional cohort, melanoma vs NSCLC (HR 1.70 [95% CI, 1.09-2.64], p = 0.02), >4 BrM at diagnosis (HR 1.60 [95% CI, 1.12-2.29], p = 0.01), presence of BrM in a high-risk location (HR 3.62 [95% CI, 1.60-8.18], p = 0.002), and lack of local brain-directed therapy (HR 3.08 [95% CI, 1.45-6.52], p = 0.003) were associated with greater risk of seizure development.

CONCLUSIONS

The role of antiseizure medications among select patients with BrM should be re-explored, particularly for those with melanoma, a greater intracranial disease burden, or BrM in high-risk locations.

Rapidly measuring spatial accessibility of COVID-19 healthcare resources: a case study of Illinois, USA

BACKGROUND

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), causing the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, has infected millions of people and caused hundreds of thousands of deaths. While COVID-19 has overwhelmed healthcare resources (e.g., healthcare personnel, testing resources, hospital beds, and ventilators) in a number of countries, limited research has been conducted to understand spatial accessibility of such resources. This study fills this gap by rapidly measuring the spatial accessibility of COVID-19 healthcare resources with a particular focus on Illinois, USA.

METHOD

The rapid measurement is achieved by resolving computational intensity of an enhanced two-step floating catchment area (E2SFCA) method through a parallel computing strategy based on cyberGIS (cyber geographic information science and systems). The E2SFCA has two major steps. First, it calculates a bed-to-population ratio for each hospital location. Second, it sums these ratios for residential locations where hospital locations overlap.

RESULTS

The comparison of the spatial accessibility measures for COVID-19 patients to those of population at risk identifies which geographic areas need additional healthcare resources to improve access. The results also help delineate the areas that may face a COVID-19-induced shortage of healthcare resources. The Chicagoland, particularly the southern Chicago, shows an additional need for resources. This study also identified vulnerable population residing in the areas with low spatial accessibility in Chicago.

CONCLUSION

Rapidly measuring spatial accessibility of healthcare resources provides an improved understanding of how well the healthcare infrastructure is equipped to save people's lives during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings are relevant for policymakers and public health practitioners to allocate existing healthcare resources or distribute new resources for maximum access to health services.

Differences in Travel Time to Cancer Surgery for Colon versus Rectal Cancer in a Rural State: A New Method for Analyzing Time-to-Place Data Using Survival Analysis

PURPOSE

Rectal cancer is rarer than colon cancer and is a technically more difficult tumor for surgeons to remove, thus rectal cancer patients may travel longer for specialized treatment compared to colon cancer patients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether travel time for surgery was different for colon versus rectal cancer patients.

METHODS

A secondary data analysis of colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence data from the Iowa Cancer Registry data was conducted. Travel times along a street network from all residential ZIP Codes to all cancer surgery facilities were calculated using a geographic information system. A new method for analyzing "time-to-place" data using the same type of survival analysis method commonly used to analyze "time-to-event" data is introduced. Cox proportional hazard model was used to analyze travel time differences for colon versus rectal cancer patients.

RESULTS

A total of 5,844 CRC patients met inclusion criteria. Median travel time to the nearest surgical facility was 9 minutes, median travel time to the actual cancer surgery facilities was 22 minutes, and the median number of facilities bypassed was 3. Although travel times to the nearest surgery facilities were not significantly different for colon versus rectal cancer patients, rectal cancer patients on average traveled 15 minutes longer to their actual surgery facility and bypassed 2 more facilities to obtain surgery.

DISCUSSION

In general, the survival analysis method used to analyze the time-to-place data as described here could be applied to a wide variety of health services and used to compare travel patterns among different groups.

Spatial access to primary care providers and colorectal cancer-specific survival in Cook County, Illinois

BACKGROUND

Spatial access to primary care has been associated with late-stage and fatal breast cancer, but less is known about its relation to outcomes of other screening-preventable cancers such as colorectal cancer. This population-based retrospective cohort study examined whether spatial access to primary care providers associates with colorectal cancer-specific survival.

METHODS

Approximately 26 600 incident colorectal cancers diagnosed between 2000 and 2008 in adults residing in Cook County, Illinois were identified through the state cancer registry and georeferenced to the census tract of residence at diagnosis. An enhanced two-step floating catchment area method measured tract-level access to primary care physicians (PCPs) in the year of diagnosis using practice locations obtained from the American Medical Association. Vital status and underlying cause of death were determined using the National Death Index. Fine-Gray proportional subdistribution hazard models analyzed the association between tract-level PCP access scores and colorectal cancer-specific survival after accounting for tract-level socioeconomic status, case demographics, tumor characteristics, and other factors.

RESULTS

Increased tract-level access to PCPs was associated with a lower risk of death from colorectal cancer (hazard ratio [HR], 95% confidence interval [CI]) = 0.87 [0.79, 0.96], P = .008, highest vs lowest quintile), especially among persons diagnosed with regional-stage tumors (HR, 95% CI = 0.80 [0.69, 0.93], P = .004, highest vs lowest quintile).

CONCLUSIONS

Spatial access to primary care providers is a predictor of colorectal cancer-specific survival in Cook County, Illinois. Future research is needed to determine which areas within the cancer care continuum are most affected by spatial accessibility to primary care such as referral for screening, accessibility of screening and diagnostic testing, referral for treatment, and access to appropriate survivorship-related care.

Racial/ethnic disparities in colorectal cancer treatment utilization and phase-specific costs, 2000-2014

BACKGROUND

Our study analyzed disparities in utilization and phase-specific costs of care among older colorectal cancer patients in the United States. We also estimated the phase-specific costs by cancer type, stage at diagnosis, and treatment modality.

METHODS

We used the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare database to identify patients aged 66 or older diagnosed with colon or rectal cancer between 2000-2013, with follow-up to death or December 31, 2014. We divided the patient's experience into separate phases of care: staging or surgery, initial, continuing, and terminal. We calculated total, cancer-attributable, and patient-liability costs. We fit logistic regression models to determine predictors of treatment receipt and fit linear regression models to determine relative costs. All costs are reported in 2019 US dollars.

RESULTS

Our cohort included 90,023 colon cancer patients and 25,581 rectal cancer patients. After controlling for patient and clinical characteristics, Non-Hispanic Blacks were less likely to receive treatment but were more likely to have higher cancer-attributable costs within different phases of care. Overall, in both the colon and rectal cancer cohorts, mean monthly cost estimates were highest in the terminal phase, next highest in the staging phase, decreased in the initial phase, and were lowest in the continuing phase.

CONCLUSIONS

Racial/ethnic disparities in treatment utilization and costs persist among colorectal cancer patients. Additionally, colorectal cancer costs are substantial and vary widely among stages and treatment modalities. This study provides information regarding cost and treatment disparities that can be used to guide clinical interventions and future resource allocation to reduce colorectal cancer burden.

Using the maximum clustering heterogeneous set-proportion to select the maximum window size for the spatial scan statistic

The spatial scan statistic has been widely used to detect spatial clusters that are of common interest in many health-related problems. However, in most situations, different scan parameters, especially the maximum window size (MWS), result in obtaining different detected clusters. Although performance measures can select an optimal scan parameter, most of them depend on historical prior or true cluster information, which is usually unavailable in practical datasets. Currently, the Gini coefficient and the maximum clustering set-proportion statistic (MCS-P) are used to select appropriate parameters without any prior information. However, the Gini coefficient may be unstable and select inappropriate parameters, especially in complex practical datasets, while the MCS-P may have unsatisfactory performance in spatial datasets with heterogeneous clusters. Based on the MCS-P, we proposed a new indicator, the maximum clustering heterogeneous set-proportion (MCHS-P). A simulation study of selecting the optimal MWS confirmed that in spatial datasets with heterogeneous clusters, the MWSs selected using the MCHS-P have much better performance than those selected using the MCS-P; moreover, higher heterogeneity led to a larger advantage of the MCHS-P, with up to 538% and 69.5% improvement in the Youden's index and misclassification in specific scenarios, respectively. Meanwhile, the MCHS-P maintains similar performance to that of the MCS-P in spatial datasets with homogeneous clusters. Furthermore, the MCHS-P has significant improvements over the Gini coefficient and the default 50% MWS, especially in datasets with clusters that are not far from each other. Two practical studies showed similar results to those obtained in the simulation study. In the case where there is no prior information about the true clusters or the heterogeneity between the clusters, the MCHS-P is recommended to select the MWS in order to accurately identify spatial clusters.

Impact of nonappendiceal cancer-specific death on overall survival: a competing risk analysis

Aim: The occurrence of nonappendiceal cancer-specific death (non-ACSD) and its impact on overall survival are unclear. Methods: Patients were extracted from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results. Results: Nearly 33.2 and 24.0% patients suffered ACSD and non-ACSD. In a Cox proportional-hazards model, unmarried patients were at greater risk of mortality than were married patients. In a competing risk model, unmarried patients were at greater risk of non-ACSD than were married patients, but the risk of ACSD did not differ significantly according to marriage status. Conclusion: The overall survival of patients with appendiceal cancer was reduced by non-ACSD. A competing risk model was more predictive of the prognosis than was a Cox proportional hazards model.

Racial disparities in young-onset patients with colorectal, breast and testicular cancer

Aims: Racial disparities in cancer mortality persist despite rapid developments in cancer treatment strategies. In recent decades, an increased frequency of patients with young-onset cancer has been reported. However, few studies have assessed racial disparities in clinical features and overall survival among young-onset patients with colorectal, breast, and testicular cancer. Therefore, we evaluated racial disparities in cancer mortality for these three cancer types.

Methods: We extracted the data of eligible patients from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database from 1973 to 2014. Overall and cancer-specific survival rates were compared among races using Kaplan-Meier curves. Adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated, and the association of race with survival was influenced by marital status, surgery and disease stage in Cox proportional hazard models.

Results: We collected the data of 19,574 patients with colorectal cancer, 68,733 with breast cancer, and 26,410 with testicular cancer; all were aged 25-40 years. A higher proportion of Blacks presented with a distant stage at diagnosis compared to Whites and Others (colorectal cancer: 18.0%, 18.5% and 18.4%, respectively, P = 0.004; breast cancer: 3.5%, 6.3% and 4.0%, respectively, P < 0.001; testicular cancer: 6.9%, 10.8% and 8.6%, respectively, P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that Blacks had the highest overall mortality rate (colorectal cancer, HR, 1.277, 95% CI: 1.198, 1.361, P < 0.001; breast cancer, HR, 1.471, 95% CI: 1.420, 1.525, P < 0.001; testicular cancer, HR, 1.887, 95% CI: 1.562, 2.281, P < 0.001). In stratified analyses, Unmarried Blacks had a higher mortality rates (colorectal cancer, HR, 1.318, 95% CI: 1.211, 1.435, P < 0.001; breast cancer, HR, 1.465, 95% CI: 1.394, 1.541, P < 0.001; testicular cancer, HR, 1.944, 95% CI: 1.544, 2.447, P < 0.001). Furthermore, Blacks with colorectal and breast cancer had a higher risk of mortality than Whites at every disease stage, with greatest disparities occurred among individuals at localized stage. The influence of racial disparities on survival was consistent among patients who accepted surgery, but was weak among those who did not undergo surgery for colorectal cancer (Blacks, HR, 1.027, 95% CI: 0.866, 1.219, P = 0.758; Others, HR, 0.919, 95% CI: 0.760, 1.112, P = 0.386) and testicular cancer (Blacks, HR, 1.039, 95% CI: 0.538, 2.007, P = 0.909; Others, HR, 0.772, 95% CI: 0.388, 1.533, P = 0.459).

Conclusions: We demonstrated that Blacks had a worse prognosis for young-onset colorectal, breast, and testicular cancer. Marital status, cancer-directed surgery and disease stage may influence the association of race with the risk of mortality. Equal access to high-quality medical care among races, greater social support and comprehensive interventions are required. Moreover, further studies need to clarify the effects of biological properties like genetic differences between races on cancer patient survival.

Determination of effective factors on geographic distribution of the incidence of colorectal cancer in Tehran using geographically weighted Poisson regression model

Background: This study aimed to determine effective factors on geographic distribution of the Incidence of Colorectal Cancer (CRC) in Tehran, Iran using Geographically Weighted Poisson Regression Model. Methods: This ecological study was carried out at neighborhood level of Tehran in 2017-2018. Data for CRC incidence was extracted from the population-based cancer registry data of Iran. The socioeconomic variables, risk factors and health costs were extracted from the Urban HEART Study in Tehran. Geographically weighted Poisson regression model was used for determination of the association between these variables with CRC incidence. GWR 4, Stata 14 and ArcGIS 10.3 software systems were used for statistical analysis. Results: The total number of incident CRC cases were 2815 in Tehran from 2008 to 2011, of whom, 2491 cases were successfully geocoded to the neighborhood. The median IRR for local variables were : unemployed people over 15 year old (median IRR: 1.17), women aged 17 years or older with university education (median IRR: 1.17), women head of household (median IRR: 1.06), people without insurance coverage (median IRR: 1.10), households without daily consumption of milk (median IRR: 0.85), smoking households (median IRR: 1.07), household's health expenditure (median IRR: 1.39), disease diagnosis costs (median IRR: 1.03), medicines costs of households (median IRR: 1.05), cost of the hospital (median IRR: 1.09), cost of medical visits (median IRR: 1.27). Conclusion: The spatial variability was observed for most socioeconomic variables, risk factors and health costs that had effects on CRC incidence in Tehran. Spatial variability is necessary when interpreting the results and utterly helpful for implementation of prevention programs.

Geographic variations in stage at diagnosis and survival for colorectal cancer in Australia: A systematic review

INTRODUCTION

Australia has one of the highest incidence rates of colorectal cancer (CRC) in the world. Residents in rural areas of Australia experience disadvantage in health care and outcomes. This review investigates whether patients with CRC in rural areas demonstrate poorer survival and more advanced stages of disease at diagnosis.

METHODS

Systematic review of peer-reviewed articles and grey literature. Studies were included if they provided data on survival or stage of disease at diagnosis across multiple geographical locations; focused on CRC patients; and were conducted in Australia.

RESULTS

Twenty-six articles met inclusion criteria. Twenty-three studies examined survival, while five studies investigated stage at diagnosis. The evidence suggests that non-metropolitan patients are less likely to survive CRC for five years compared to patients living in metropolitan areas, yet there was limited evidence to suggest geographical disparity in stage of diagnosis.

CONCLUSIONS

While five-year survival disparities are apparent, these patterns appear to vary as a function of specific region and health jurisdiction, cancer type and year/s of data collection. Future research should examine current data using consistent and robust methods of reporting survival and classifying geographical location. The impact of population-level screening programmes on survival and stage at diagnosis also needs to be thoroughly explored.

Lung Cancer Patient Perceptions of the Value of an Outreach Thoracic Surgical Clinic

BACKGROUND

Although specialty outreach clinics have been associated with improved outcomes and access to care, their role for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has not been described. We sought to characterize perceptions of the utility of a specialty outreach clinic among patients with suspected NSCLC.

METHODS

Surveys were administered to patients who were suspected to have NSCLC and were seen at an outreach thoracic surgery clinic (2016 to 2017). The clinic was located approximately 20 miles from the academic cancer center.

RESULTS

Sixty-nine patients completed surveys. The median distance traveled to the clinic was 43.5 miles (interquartile range: 5.0 to 111.3 miles). Among patients traveling 50 miles or more, the overwhelming majority (27 of 32 patients, 84.4%) cited physician expertise as the primary benefit of treatment at the clinic. Moreover, compared with patients living in closer proximity, they were more willing to travel 100 miles or more to have surgery (71.0% versus 26.7%, p = 0.001) or to consult with a surgeon (71.0% versus 25.8%, p < 0.001). Patients for whom it was very important to receive care close to home (33 of 68 patients, 48.5%) were less willing to travel 100 miles or more for consultation (surgeon: 33.3% versus 65.6%, p = 0.011; medical oncologist: 33.3% versus 65.6%, p = 0.011; radiation oncologist: 33.3% versus 64.5%, p = 0.015) and for treatment (surgery: 33.3% versus 65.6%, p = 0.011; chemotherapy: 36.7% versus 60.7%, p = 0.067; radiotherapy: 33.3% versus 64.3%, p = 0.018).

CONCLUSIONS

Many patients value receiving oncologic care close to home and are sensitive to distance required to travel for care. Thoracic surgical outreach clinics may provide a benefit for patients with lung cancer in the settings of initial consultation, preoperative care, and postoperative care.

Use of an E2SFCA Method to Measure and Analyse Spatial Accessibility to Medical Services for Elderly People in Wuhan, China

Current studies on measuring the accessibility of medical services for the elderly (AMSE) have ignored the potential competition among supply and demand and the distance decay laws. Hence, an enhanced two-step floating catchment area (E2SFCA) method (i.e., the road network-based Gaussian 2SFCA method) is proposed to calculate AMSE scores after considering different types of roads, including urban rail transit, freeways, major roads, minor roads and rural roads. Based on the first National Geographic Conditions Monitoring (NGCM) data, this study took Wuhan, China, as a case study and assessed the variation of AMSE using two different threshold times (i.e., Platinum Ten and Golden Hour). Next, global (i.e., sensitivity and hot spot analysis) and local analyses (i.e., three regional area internal comparisons) of AMSE scores were conducted to accurately identify details in the variation of spatial accessibility. It was observed that the E2SFCA method could be easily applied to measure AMSE. The results showed that 48.63% of the elderly population in Wuhan had a higher or the highest level of medical accessibility in "Platinum Ten", while 72.97% had a higher or the highest level in the "Golden Hour", and hot spots of AMSE scores were located in central urban areas and presented an enclosure structure using both threshold travel times, which could provide guidance to governments or planners on issues of spatial planning and identifying elderly medical services shortage areas.

Racial/ethnic disparities in de novo metastases sites and survival outcomes for patients with primary breast, colorectal, and prostate cancer

Racial disparities in cancer mortality still exist despite improvements in treatment strategies leading to improved survival for many cancer types. In this study, we described race/ethnic differences in patterns of de novo metastasis and evaluated the association between site of de novo metastasis and breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer mortality. Data were obtained from the Surveillance Epidemiology and Ends Results (SEER) database from 2010 to 2013 and included 520,147 patients ages ≥40 years with primary diagnosis of breast, colorectal, or prostate cancer. Site and frequency of de novo metastases to four sites (bone, brain, liver, and lung) were compared by race/ethnicity using descriptive statistics, and survival differences examined using extended Cox regression models in SAS 9.4. Overall, non‐Hispanic (NH) Blacks (11%) were more likely to present with de novo metastasis compared with NH‐Whites (9%) or Hispanics (10%). Among patients with breast cancer, NH‐Blacks were more likely to have metastasis to the bone, (OR: 1.25, 95% CI: 1.15–1.37), brain (OR: 2.26, 95% CI: 1.57–3.25), or liver (OR: 1.62, 95% CI: 1.35–1.93), while Hispanics were less likely to have metastasis to the liver (OR: 0.76, 95% CI: 0.60–0.97) compared with NH‐Whites. Among patients with prostate cancer, NH‐Blacks (1.39, 95% CI: 1.31–1.48) and Hispanics (1.39, 95% CI: 1.29–1.49) were more likely to have metastasis to the bone. Metastasis to any of the four sites evaluated increased overall mortality by threefold (for breast cancer and metastasis to bone) to 17‐fold (for prostate cancer and metastasis to liver). Racial disparities in mortality remained after adjusting for metastasis site in all cancer types evaluated. De novo metastasis is a major contributor to cancer mortality in USA with racial differences in the site, frequency, and associated survival.

Health Service Accessibility and Risk in Cervical Cancer Prevention: Comparing Rural Versus Nonrural Residence in New Mexico

PURPOSE

Multiple intrapersonal and structural barriers, including geography, may prevent women from engaging in cervical cancer preventive care such as screening, diagnostic colposcopy, and excisional precancer treatment procedures. Geographic accessibility, stratified by rural and nonrural areas, to necessary services across the cervical cancer continuum of preventive care is largely unknown.

METHODS

Health care facility data for New Mexico (2010-2012) was provided by the New Mexico Human Papillomavirus Pap Registry (NMHPVPR), the first population-based statewide cervical cancer screening registry in the United States. Travel distance and time between the population-weighted census tract centroid to the nearest facility providing screening, diagnostic, and excisional treatment services were examined using proximity analysis by rural and nonrural census tracts. Mann-Whitney test (P < .05) was used to determine if differences were significant and Cohen's r to measure effect.

FINDINGS

Across all cervical cancer preventive health care services and years, women who resided in rural areas had a significantly greater geographic accessibility burden when compared to nonrural areas (4.4 km vs 2.5 km and 4.9 minutes vs 3.0 minutes for screening; 9.9 km vs 4.2 km and 10.4 minutes vs 4.9 minutes for colposcopy; and 14.8 km vs 6.6 km and 14.4 minutes vs 7.4 minutes for precancer treatment services, all P < .001).

CONCLUSION

Improvements in cervical cancer prevention should address the potential benefits of providing the full spectrum of screening, diagnostic and precancer treatment services within individual facilities. Accessibility, assessments distinguishing rural and nonrural areas are essential when monitoring and recommending changes to service infrastructures (eg, mobile versus brick and mortar).

Exploring neighborhood inequality in female breast cancer incidence in Tehran using Bayesian spatial models and a spatial scan statistic

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to explore the spatial pattern of female breast cancer (BC) incidence at the neighborhood level in Tehran, Iran.

METHODS

The present study included all registered incident cases of female BC from March 2008 to March 2011. The raw standardized incidence ratio (SIR) of BC for each neighborhood was estimated by comparing observed cases relative to expected cases. The estimated raw SIRs were smoothed by a Besag, York, and Mollie spatial model and the spatial empirical Bayesian method. The purely spatial scan statistic was used to identify spatial clusters.

RESULTS

There were 4,175 incident BC cases in the study area from 2008 to 2011, of which 3,080 were successfully geocoded to the neighborhood level. Higher than expected rates of BC were found in neighborhoods located in northern and central Tehran, whereas lower rates appeared in southern areas. The most likely cluster of higher than expected BC incidence involved neighborhoods in districts 3 and 6, with an observed-to-expected ratio of 3.92 (p<0.001), whereas the most likely cluster of lower than expected rates involved neighborhoods in districts 17, 18, and 19, with an observed-to-expected ratio of 0.05 (p<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Neighborhood-level inequality in the incidence of BC exists in Tehran. These findings can serve as a basis for resource allocation and preventive strategies in at-risk areas.

Improvements in Colorectal Cancer Incidence Not Experienced by Nonmetropolitan Women: A Population-Based Study From Utah

PURPOSE

Little is known about disparities in colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence and mortality by community-level factors such as metropolitan status.

METHODS

This analysis utilized data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program from Utah. We included patients diagnosed with CRC from 1991 to 2010. To determine whether associations existed between metropolitan/nonmetropolitan county of residence and CRC incidence, Poisson regression models were used. CRC mortality was assessed using multivariable Cox regression models.

FINDINGS

CRC incidence rates did not differ between metropolitan and nonmetropolitan counties by gender (males: 46.2 per 100,000 vs 45.1 per 100,000, P = .87; females: 34.4 per 100,000 vs 36.1 per 100,000, P = .70). However, CRC incidence between the years of 2006 and 2010 in nonmetropolitan counties was significantly higher in females (metropolitan: 30.4 vs nonmetropolitan: 37.0 per 100,000, P = .002). As compared to metropolitan counties, the incidence of unstaged CRC in nonmetropolitan counties was significantly higher in both males (1.7 vs 2.8 per 100,000, P = .003) and females (1.4 vs 1.6 per 100,000, P = .002). Among patients who were diagnosed between 2006 and 2010, metropolitan counties were found to have significantly increased survival among males and females, but nonmetropolitan counties showed increased survival only for males.

CONCLUSIONS

While we observed a decreasing incidence of CRC among men and women in Utah, this effect was not seen in women in nonmetropolitan areas nor among those with unstaged disease. Further studies should evaluate factors that may account for these differences. This analysis can inform interventions with a focus on women in nonmetropolitan areas.

Prognostic factors and survival of colorectal cancer in Kurdistan province, Iran: A population-based study (2009-2014)

Colorectal cancer (CRC) survival varies at individual and geographically level. This population-based study aimed to evaluating various factors affecting the survival rate of CRC patients in Kurdistan province.In a retrospective cohort study, patients diagnosed as CRC were collected through a population-based study from March 1, 2009 to 2014. The data were collected from Kurdistan's Cancer Registry database. Additional information and missing data were collected reference to patients' homes, medical records, and pathology reports. The CRC survival was calculated from the date of diagnosis to the date of cancer-specific death or the end of follow-up (cutoff date: October 2015). Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test were used for the univariate analysis of survival in various subgroups. The proportional-hazard model Cox was also used in order to consider the effects of different factors on survival including age at diagnosis, place of residence, marital status, occupation, level of education, smoking, economic status, comorbidity, tumor stage, and tumor grade.A total number of 335 patients affected by CRC were assessed and the results showed that 1- and 5-year survival rate were 87% and 33%, respectively. According to the results of Cox's multivariate analysis, the following factors were significantly related to CRC survival: age at diagnosis (≥65 years old) (HR 2.08, 95% CI: 1.17-3.71), single patients (HR 1.62, 95% CI: 1.10-2.40), job (worker) (HR 2.09, 95% CI: 1.22-3.58), educational level: diploma or below (HR 0.61, 95% CI: 0.39-0.92), wealthy economic status (HR 0.51, 95% CI: 0.31-0.82), tumor grade in poorly differentiated (HR 2.25, 95% CI: 1.37-3.69), and undifferentiated/anaplastic grade (HR 2.90, 95% CI: 1.67-4.98).We found that factors such as low education, inappropriate socioeconomic status, and high tumor grade at the time of disease diagnosis were effective in the poor survival of CRC patients in Kurdistan province; this, which need more attention.

Temporal Trends in Geographic and Sociodemographic Disparities in Colorectal Cancer Among Medicare Patients, 1973-2010

PURPOSE

Colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence and mortality in the United States have steadily declined since the 1980s, but racial and socioeconomic disparities remain. The influence of geographic factors is poorly understood and may be affected by evolving insurance coverage and screening test uptake. We characterized temporal trends in the association between geographic and sociodemographic factors and CRC outcomes.

METHODS

We used the 1973-2010 SEER-Medicare files to identify patients aged ≥65 years with and without CRC. Beneficiary residential ZIP codes were used to extract local-level data. We constructed multivariable logistic regression models for CRC incidence and mortality using geographic and sociodemographic variables in 4 time periods: (1) 1973-1997; (2) 1998-2001; (3) 2002-2006; and (4) 2007-2010.

FINDINGS

We analyzed 1,093,758 records, including 336,321 CRC cases. Compared to urban residence, small rural residence was strongly associated with increased CRC incidence (OR 1.50, 95% CI: 1.43-1.57) and mortality (OR 1.35, 95% CI: 1.26-1.45) in 1973-1997, but the associations diminished by 2007-2010 (OR 1.09, 95% CI: 1.04-1.15 for incidence; OR 1.10, 95% CI: 1.01-1.20 for mortality). The disparity between blacks and whites increased over time for both incidence (OR 1.09, 95% CI: 1.05-1.13 in 1973-1997 vs OR 1.32, 95% CI: 1.27-1.37 in 2007-2010) and mortality (OR 1.22, 95% CI: 1.16-1.28 in 1973-1997 vs OR 1.34, 95% CI: 1.26-1.42 in 2007-2010). High socioeconomic status was associated with greater incidence and mortality in 1973-1997, but it became protective after 1998.

CONCLUSIONS

Although disparities persist among Medicare beneficiaries, the relationship between geographic and sociodemographic factors and CRC incidence and mortality has evolved over time.

Measuring Spatial Accessibility of Health Care Providers - Introduction of a Variable Distance Decay Function within the Floating Catchment Area (FCA) Method

We integrated recent improvements within the floating catchment area (FCA) method family into an integrated 'iFCA`method. Within this method we focused on the distance decay function and its parameter. So far only distance decay functions with constant parameters have been applied. Therefore, we developed a variable distance decay function to be used within the FCA method. We were able to replace the impedance coefficient β by readily available distribution parameter (i.e. median and standard deviation (SD)) within a logistic based distance decay function. Hence, the function is shaped individually for every single population location by the median and SD of all population-to-provider distances within a global catchment size. Theoretical application of the variable distance decay function showed conceptually sound results. Furthermore, the existence of effective variable catchment sizes defined by the asymptotic approach to zero of the distance decay function was revealed, satisfying the need for variable catchment sizes. The application of the iFCA method within an urban case study in Berlin (Germany) confirmed the theoretical fit of the suggested method. In summary, we introduced for the first time, a variable distance decay function within an integrated FCA method. This function accounts for individual travel behaviors determined by the distribution of providers. Additionally, the function inherits effective variable catchment sizes and therefore obviates the need for determining variable catchment sizes separately.

Design and methodology of the Geo-social Analysis of Physicians' settlement (GAP-Study) in Germany

BACKGROUND

Unequally distributed disease burdens within populations are well-known and occur worldwide. They are depending on residents' social status and/or ethnic background. Country-specific health care systems - especially the coverage and distribution of health care providers - are both a potential cause as well as an important solution for health inequalities.

METHODS

Registers are built of all accredited physicians and psychotherapists within the outpatient care system in German metropolises by utilizing the database of the Associations of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians. The physicians' practice neighborhood will be analyzed under socioeconomic and demographic perspectives. Therefore, official city districts' statistics will be assigned to the physicians and psychotherapists according to their practice location. Averages of neighborhood indicators will be calculated for each specialty. Moreover, advanced studies will inspect differences by physicians' gender or practice type. Geo-spatial analyses of the intra-city practices distribution will complete the settlement characteristics of physicians and psychotherapists within the outpatient care system in German metropolises.

RESULTS

The project "Geo-social Analysis of Physicians' settlement" (GAP) is designed to elucidate gaps of physician coverage within the outpatient care system, dependent on neighborhood residents' social status or ethnics in German metropolises.

CONCLUSION

The methodology of the GAP-Study enables the standardized investigation of physicians' settlement behavior in German metropolises and their inter-city comparisons. The identification of potential gaps within the physicians' coverage should facilitate the delineation of approaches for solving health care inequality problems.

An examination of disparities in cancer incidence in Texas using Bayesian random coefficient models

Disparities in cancer risk exist between ethnic groups in the United States. These disparities often result from differential access to healthcare, differences in socioeconomic status and differential exposure to carcinogens. This study uses cancer incidence data from the population based Texas Cancer Registry to investigate the disparities in digestive and respiratory cancers from 2000 to 2008. A Bayesian hierarchical regression approach is used. All models are fit using the INLA method of Bayesian model estimation. Specifically, a spatially varying coefficient model of the disparity between Hispanic and Non-Hispanic incidence is used. Results suggest that a spatio-temporal heterogeneity model best accounts for the observed Hispanic disparity in cancer risk. Overall, there is a significant disadvantage for the Hispanic population of Texas with respect to both of these cancers, and this disparity varies significantly over space. The greatest disparities between Hispanics and Non-Hispanics in digestive and respiratory cancers occur in eastern Texas, with patterns emerging as early as 2000 and continuing until 2008.

A systematic review of types and efficacy of online interventions for cancer patients

OBJECTIVE

This review examines the evidence-based literature surrounding the use of online resources for adult cancer patients. The focus is online resources that connect patients with their healthcare clinician and with supportive and educational resources, their efficacy and the outcome measures used to assess them.

METHODS

The following databases were systematically searched for relevant literature: MEDLINE, PsychINFO, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, CINAHL, Inspec and Computers and Applied Science. Included were studies conducted in an outpatient setting, and reporting a measurable, clinically relevant outcome. Fourteen studies satisfied the inclusion criteria.

RESULTS

The efficacy of online interventions was varied, with some demonstrating positive effects on quality of life and related measures, and two demonstrating poorer outcomes for intervention participants. The majority of interventions reported mixed results. Included interventions were too heterogeneous for meta-analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

The overall benefit of online interventions for cancer patients is unclear. Although there is a plethora of interventions reported without analysis, current interventions demonstrate mixed efficacy of limited duration when rigorously evaluated.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

The efficacy of on-line interventions for cancer patients is unclear. All on-line interventions should be developed using the available evidence-base and rigorously evaluated to expand our understanding of this area.

A registry study of the association of patient's residence and age with colorectal cancer survival

Because of limited literature from rural states of the United States like Nebraska, we evaluated the association of patient's age, Office of Management and Budget residence-county categories (rural-nonmetro, micropolitan-nonmetro, urban), and significant interactions between confounding-variables with colorectal cancer (CRC) survival. This retrospective 1998-2003 study of 6561 CRC patients from the Nebraska Cancer Registry showed median patient survival in colon and rectal cancer in urban, rural and micropolitan counties were 33, 36, and 46 months and 41, 47, 49 months, respectively. In Cox proportional-hazards analyses, after adjusting for significant demographics (age, race, marital status in colon cancer; age, insurance status in rectal cancer), cancer stage, surgery and radiation treatments; 1) no-chemotherapy urban colon cancer patients had significantly shorter survival (rural vs urban; adjusted hazard ratio, HR: 0.78 or urban vs rural HR: 1.28; micropolitan vs urban, HR: 0.78) and 2) no-surgery urban (vs rural, HR: 1.49); micropolitan (vs rural, HR: 2.01) rectal cancer patients had significantly shorter survival. Colon cancer (≥65 years) and rectal cancer (≥75 years) elderly each versus patients aged 19-64 years old had significantly shorter survival (all p < 0.01). The association of patients' age and treatment/residence-county interactions with CRC survival warrant decision-makers' attention.

Comparison of geographic methods to assess travel patterns of persons diagnosed with HIV in Philadelphia: how close is close enough?

Travel distance to medical care has been assessed using a variety of geographic methods. Network analyses are less common, but may generate more accurate estimates of travel costs. We compared straight-line distances and driving distance, as well as average drive time and travel time on a public transit network for 1789 persons diagnosed with HIV between 2010 and 2012 to identify differences overall, and by distinct geographic areas of Philadelphia. Paired t-tests were used to assess differences across methods, and analysis of variance was used to assess between-group differences. Driving distances were significantly longer than straight-line distances (p<0.001) and transit times were significantly longer than driving times (p<0.001). Persons living in the northeast section of the city traveled greater distances, and at greater cost of time and effort, than persons in all other areas of the city (p<0.001). Persons living in the northwest section of the city traveled farther and longer than all other areas except the northeast (p<0.0001). Network analyses that include public transit will likely produce a more realistic estimate of the travel costs, and may improve models to predict medical care outcomes.

Spatial inequalities in colorectal and breast cancer survival: premature deaths and associated factors

This study examines the influence of cancer stage, distance to treatment facilities and area disadvantage on breast and colorectal cancer spatial survival inequalities. We also estimate the number of premature deaths after adjusting for cancer stage to quantify the impact of spatial survival inequalities. Population-based descriptive study of residents aged <90 years in Queensland, Australia diagnosed with primary invasive breast (25,202 females) or colorectal (14,690 males, 11,700 females) cancers during 1996-2007. Bayesian hierarchical models explored relative survival inequalities across 478 regions. Cancer stage and disadvantage explained the spatial inequalities in breast cancer survival, however spatial inequalities in colorectal cancer survival persisted after adjustment. Of the 6,019 colorectal cancer deaths within 5 years of diagnosis, 470 (8%) were associated with spatial inequalities in non-diagnostic factors, i.e. factors beyond cancer stage at diagnosis. For breast cancers, of 2,412 deaths, 170 (7%) were related to spatial inequalities in non-diagnostic factors. Quantifying premature deaths can increase incentive for action to reduce these spatial inequalities.

Variation in geographic access to specialist inpatient hospices in England and Wales

We seek to map and describe variation in geographic access to the set of 189 specialist adult inpatient hospices in England and Wales. Using almost 35,000 small Census areas (Local Super Output Areas: LSOAs) as our units of analysis, the locations of hospices, and estimated drive times from LSOAs to hospices we construct an accessibility 'score' for each LSOA, for England and Wales as a whole. Data on cancer mortality are used as a proxy for the 'demand' for hospice care and we then identify that subset of small areas in which accessibility (service supply) is relatively poor yet the potential 'demand' for hospice services is above average. That subset is then filtered according to the deprivation score for each LSOA, in order to identify those LSOAs which are also above average in terms of deprivation. While urban areas are relatively well served, large parts of England and Wales have poor access to hospices, and there is a risk that the needs of those living in relatively deprived areas may be unmet.