Rural women with breast cancer are less likely to get additional recommended procedures

Rural women with breast cancer are less likely than their urban counterparts to get additional recommended medical procedures, reports The Mayo Clinic, which conducted the study along with the University of Minnesota and Georgetown University. "These study results are concerning, said the clinic's Elizabeth Habermann. "All women should receive guideline-recommended cancer care, regardless of where they live."

The study found that fewer rural women "receive recommended radiation therapy after having a lumpectomy, a breast-sparing surgery that removes only tumors and surrounding tissue," the clinic reports. Researchers also found that rural women "were less likely to have their estrogen receptor status tested and their tumor graded -- two important elements of the diagnostic work-up for breast cancer." Rural women are also more likely to choose a mastectomy over a lumpectomy. (Read more)