Abstract
Limited data exist on the effect of travelling time on post-diagnosis cancer care and mortality. We analysed the impact of travel time to cancer treatment centre on secondary care contact time and one-year mortality using a data-linkage study in Scotland with 17369 patients. Patients with longer travelling time and island-dwellers had increased incidence rate of secondary care cancer contact
time. For outpatient oncology appointments, the incidence rate was decreased for island-dwellers. Longer travelling time was not associated with increased secondary care contact time for emergency cancer admissions or time to first emergency cancer admission. Living on an island increased mortality at one-year. Adjusting for cancer-specific secondary care contact time increased the hazard of death, and adjusting for oncology outpatient time decreased the hazard of death for island-dwellers. Those with longer travelling times experience the cancer treatment pathway differently with poorer outcomes. Cancer services may need to be better configured to suit differing needs of dispersed populations.
time. For outpatient oncology appointments, the incidence rate was decreased for island-dwellers. Longer travelling time was not associated with increased secondary care contact time for emergency cancer admissions or time to first emergency cancer admission. Living on an island increased mortality at one-year. Adjusting for cancer-specific secondary care contact time increased the hazard of death, and adjusting for oncology outpatient time decreased the hazard of death for island-dwellers. Those with longer travelling times experience the cancer treatment pathway differently with poorer outcomes. Cancer services may need to be better configured to suit differing needs of dispersed populations.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 103139 |
Pages (from-to) | 103139 |
Journal | Health & Place |
Volume | 84 |
Early online date | 16 Nov 2023 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 16 Nov 2023 |
Bibliographical note
FundingThis research was supported by a grant from NHS Grampian Endowment Fund (Grant no.16/11/017). The funder had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis and interpretation of the data; preprataion, review or approval of the manuscript; or the decision to submit the manuscript for publication.
For the purpose of open access, the author has applied a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) licence to any Author Accepted Manuscript version arising from this submission.
Data Availability Statement
The data that support the findings of this study are not openly available due to ethical and legal restrictions. Data are located in controlled access data storage. Data from SMR06, SMR01, SMR00 and NRS Deaths are available on a Public Benefit and Privacy Panel (PBPP) application to Electronic Data Research and Innovation Service (eDRIS), Public Health Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland.Keywords
- Cancer
- Survivorship
- Secondary Care
- Incidence
- Travel
- Secondary care