Rural vs Urban Genitourinary Cancer Rates in Pennsylvania
Author Information
Author(s): Jonathan Pham, Ahmad N. Alzubaidi, Jay D. Raman, Tullika Garg
Primary Institution: Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
Hypothesis
The study aims to describe the incidence and mortality of genitourinary cancers in rural and urban Pennsylvania counties from 1990 to 2019.
Conclusion
Overall genitourinary cancer incidence and mortality decreased across both rural and urban Pennsylvania counties over three decades.
Supporting Evidence
- GU cancer incidence decreased in both rural and urban counties.
- Prostate cancer incidence decreased significantly in both rural and urban areas.
- Kidney cancer incidence increased in both rural and urban counties.
- GU cancer mortality decreased in both rural and urban counties.
- Bladder cancer incidence and mortality remained stable in both types of counties.
Takeaway
This study looked at how many people got and died from certain types of cancers in cities and countryside areas in Pennsylvania over 30 years. It found that fewer people got these cancers and died from them in both places.
Methodology
The study used data from the Pennsylvania Cancer Registry to calculate age-adjusted incidence and mortality rates of prostate, bladder, and kidney cancers from 1990 to 2019.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to the exclusion of certain cancer types and reliance on a publicly available dataset.
Limitations
The study used a fixed rural-urban classification which may not reflect changes over time and lacked detailed patient and tumor characteristics.
Participant Demographics
The study included data from all new cancer cases diagnosed in Pennsylvania, with a focus on prostate, bladder, and kidney cancers.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p = 0.04 for overall GU cancer incidence in rural counties; p = 0.02 for urban counties.
Confidence Interval
95% CI 0.65–0.83 for treatment likelihood in rural men.
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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