Rural health cancer care: A literature review.

Abstract

e18500 Background: A recent review of the medical literature of rural health cancer care delivery has not been published. We conducted a preliminary review of the last twenty years of rural health cancer care delivery literature utilizing medical subject headings (MeSH) within the PubMed NCBI) database. Methods: Using PubMed MeSH Major Topic terms “rural population” and “cancer” we identified publications published from 2000 to 2020. We searched PubMed for publications that included the major topic MeSH terms “rural population” and “cancer”. We individually reviewed articles, confirmed the focus of the article, and subcategorized the articles. Results: We identified 580 publications which met the search criteria, the majority were focused on the United States (266), followed by China (56), Australia (54), and India (27). Among the publications focusing on the United States, 76 involved Appalachian States. Kentucky (18) and Georgia (10) were the states most frequently represented. Malignancies most commonly represented were: breast cancer (148), uterine/cervical (84), and colorectal cancers (68). The journals which published the most rural health cancer care delivery were The Journal of Rural Health (42), Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention (20), Cancer (14), Rural and Remote Health (13), Journal of Cancer Education (13), Australian Journal of Rural Health (12). Conclusions: The rural health cancer care literature in the last two decades focuses primarily on the United States, China, Australia, and India. Within the United States, the research focus is Appalachia. The majority of articles focus on breast cancer, uterine/cervical, and colorectal cancers. The journal which published the majority of rural health cancer care articles was the Journal of Rural Health.