Adherence to Needed Adjuvant Therapy Could Decrease Recurrence Rates for Rural Patients With Early Breast Cancer.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the differences in stage upon diagnosis, adherence to adjuvant treatment, and recurrence between rural and urban patients with early breast cancer.

METHODS: This retrospective study included 3640 patients with primary breast cancer recruited from 2000 to 2009. Patients who developed recurrence or metastasis were verified by adequate diagnostic imaging modalities and pathology. The χ2 test was used to compare groups with respect to variables (recurrence and clinicopathologic features). A multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression model was used to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for breast cancer recurrence risk.

RESULTS: Compared with tumors in urban patients, those in rural patients showed higher histologic grade, larger size, more lymphatic metastasis, and higher Ki-67 index; therapy adherence was strongly associated with recurrence in both. Compared with urban patients, the female rural patients had a higher recurrence rate. However, no significant difference in recurrence rates was observed between urban and rural patients following guideline adherence.

CONCLUSIONS: The results of our study suggest that the later stage upon diagnosis and nonadherence to treatment contribute toward worse breast cancer outcomes among rural patients with breast cancer. Adherence to needed adjuvant therapy could decrease recurrence rates for rural patients with early breast cancer.