Differences in prostate cancer biochemical recurrence between rural and urban patients in North Carolina

Rural patients face unique barriers in obtaining high-quality cancer care. It is not clear whether these disparities translate to clinical outcomes. A cohort study using patient data abstracted from the North Carolina Prostate Cancer Comparative Effectiveness and Survivorship Study investigated differences in the rate of prostate cancer biochemical recurrence between rural and urban patients. In this cohort study that included 778 patients, the rate of recurrence among rural patients was 16.8% compared with 8.5% among urban patients. In multivariable analysis, rural residence was significantly associated with recurrence (HR 1.74; p=0.03). The authors conclude that there is a need for reseach to evaluate the causes of this observation and possible interventions to combat this disparity.