Rural, Large Town, and Urban Differences in Optimal Subspecialty Follow-up and Survivorship Care Plan Documentation among Childhood Cancer Survivors.

BACKGROUND: Children with cancer from rural and non-urban areas face unique challenges. Health equity for this population requires attention to geographic disparities in optimal survivorship-focused care.

METHODS: The Oklahoma Childhood Cancer Survivor Cohort was based on all patients reported to the institutional cancer registry and <18-years-old at diagnosis between January 1, 2005, and September 24, 2014. Suboptimal follow-up was defined as no completed oncology-related clinic visit five to seven years after their initial diagnosis (survivors were 7-25 years old at end of the follow-up period). The primary predictor of interest was rurality.

RESULTS: Ninety-four (21%) of the 449 eligible survivors received suboptimal follow-up. There were significant differences (p=0.01) as 36% of survivors from large towns (n=28/78) compared with 21% (n=20/95) and 17% (n=46/276) of survivors from small town/isolated rural and urban areas received suboptimal follow-up, respectively. Forty-five percent of adolescents at diagnosis were not seen in the clinic compared with 17% of non-adolescents (p<0.01). An adjusted risk ratio of 2.2 (95% CI 1.5, 3.2) was observed for suboptimal follow-up among survivors from large towns, compared with survivors from urban areas. Seventy-three percent of survivors (n=271/369) had a documented survivorship care plan with similar trends by rurality.

CONCLUSIONS: Survivors from large towns and those who were adolescents at the time of diagnosis were more likely to receive suboptimal follow-up care compared to survivors from urban areas and those diagnosed younger than thirteen.

IMPACT: Observed geographic disparities in survivorship care will inform interventions to promote equitable care for survivors from non-urban areas.