title: Geographic disparities in pancreatic cancer survival in a southeastern safety-net academic medical center.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To quantify the effects of race, measures of socioeconomic status and geographic residency status on pancreatic cancer survival time.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective review.
  
  
  METHODS
  A southeastern safety-net academic medical centre in the United States.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study population consisted of all patients who were diagnosed, referred to or treated at the medical centre between 2009 and 2012 (n = 245). To ensure completeness and accuracy of the data, follow-up treatment and survival information about the cases were collected from the Georgia Comprehensive Cancer Registry in 2013.
  
  
  METHODS
  The odds of receiving first-course treatment (surgery, radiation or chemotherapy) and overall survival following a pancreatic cancer diagnosis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were no observed differences in receipt of initial treatment; however, patients from low socioeconomic and rural areas had significant increase in risk of death compared to patients from affluent and urban areas.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results from this single site study suggests the significance of factors other than treatment differences that contribute to geographic disparities in mortality.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Sciences, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
authors.forename: Talar W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Markossian
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Memorial University Medical Center, Savannah, Georgia, USA.
authors.forename: Cindy-Marie
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: O'Neal
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Memorial University Medical Center, Savannah, Georgia, USA.
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Senkowski
mesh_terms: D000046:Academic Medical Centers; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D054625:Healthcare Disparities; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms; D011204:Poverty Areas; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015144:Southeastern United States; D013534:Survival
keywords: access; access issue; rural health; rural health service delivery; rural oncology