Short-Term Surgical Outcomes at Rural Facilities Similar to Those in More Distant, Urban Facilities

THURSDAY, Feb. 19, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Older patients with stage I to III colon or lung cancer achieve comparable short-term surgical outcomes when they undergo surgery at local rural facilities versus urban facilities, according to a study published online Feb. 11 in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.

Michael E. Egger, M.D., from University of Louisville in Kentucky, and colleagues evaluated whether older patients (aged 65 years and older) can safely undergo lung and colon cancer surgery at their local rural hospital. The analysis included 10,383 rural patients with stage I to III colon cancer and 6,006 rural patients with stage I to III lung cancer identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare files.

The researchers found no clinically significant differences between rural and urban treatment in either colon cancer or lung cancer cohorts in terms of demographics or cancer stage. Comorbidity risks also were similar. Across urban and rural facilities, mortality and complication rates were comparable. For both patients with colon cancer (49 versus 16 miles) and patients with lung cancer (61 versus 35 miles), travel distance was significantly greater for those treated at urban facilities versus rural facilities.

“Long travel times and costs associated with travel can be a significant burden for many cancer patients living in rural communities,” Egger said in a statement. “As hospital systems regionalize care, it is going to be important to determine which patients can receive care more locally and who may benefit from receiving more centralized care.”

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