An Investigation of Travel Distance and Timeliness of Breast Cancer Treatment Among a Diverse Cohort in the United States

Swann Arp Adams; Oluwole Adeyemi Babatunde; Whitney E. Zahnd; Peiyin Hung; Karen E. Wickersham; Nathaniel Bell; Jan M. Eberth

doi:10.3390/ijerph22020176

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An Investigation of Travel Distance and Timeliness of Breast Cancer Treatment Among a Diverse Cohort in the United States

Journal article

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Peer reviewed

An Investigation of Travel Distance and Timeliness of Breast Cancer Treatment Among a Diverse Cohort in the United States

Swann Arp Adams, Oluwole Adeyemi Babatunde, Whitney E. Zahnd, Peiyin Hung, Karen E. Wickersham, Nathaniel Bell and Jan M. Eberth

International journal of environmental research and public health, Vol.22(2), 176

01/27/2025

DOI: 10.3390/ijerph22020176

PMCID: PMC11855575

PMID: 40003402

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Abstract

Travel to and from distant cancer treatment facilities can place a significant burden on cancer patients, particularly rural and minority survivors. Thus, the purpose of our investigation was to examine the association between patient travel distance and delays in types of treatment for breast cancer (surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and hormonal therapy) and treatment delays. Using a novel linkage between the state cancer registry and administrative data from Medicaid and a private insurance plan, 2155 BC patients were successfully linked to create the cohort. ArcGIS was used to geocode all case residences and treatment facility addresses and calculate network distance between the residence and each facility. Logistic regression models were used to calculate the adjusted odds of being delayed versus timely by street distance. Odds of late surgery were increased by 1% (95% CI: 1.00, 1.01) for each one-mile increase from the patient’s residence to the treatment facility. In race-stratified models, the odds of late treatment for Black patients increased by 3% per mile (95% CI 1.01, 1.06) for radiation. Increased travel distance appears to significantly increase treatment delays for surgical, radiation, and chemotherapeutic treatments for women with BC, especially among Black women.

Details

Title: Subtitle: An Investigation of Travel Distance and Timeliness of Breast Cancer Treatment Among a Diverse Cohort in the United States
Creators: Swann Arp Adams - University of South Carolina
Oluwole Adeyemi Babatunde - Prisma Health
Whitney E. Zahnd - University of Iowa
Peiyin Hung - University of South Carolina
Karen E. Wickersham - University of South Carolina
Nathaniel Bell - University of South Carolina
Jan M. Eberth - Drexel University
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: International journal of environmental research and public health, Vol.22(2), 176
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph22020176
PMID: 40003402
PMCID: PMC11855575
NLM abbreviation: Int J Environ Res Public Health
ISSN: 1660-4601
eISSN: 1660-4601
Language: English
Date published: 01/27/2025
Academic Unit: Health Management and Policy
Record Identifier: 9984781272002771

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