Barriers and Facilitators to Timely Adjuvant Therapy for Head and Neck Cancer in Rural Care

What barriers, facilitators, and themes influence timely postoperative radiotherapy for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma in rural cancer clinics?In this qualitative study at 2 rural cancer clinics, participants identified 5 barriers (communication, care coordination, access to dental care, transportation, and confronting negative emotions) and 4 facilitators (key staff as central contacts, caregivers as advocates, rural culture, and leveraging preexisting resources). Four themes emerged: (1) leveraging strengths, (2) managing the steep learning curve after cancer diagnosis, (3) the value of peer support, and (4) the desire for information support was far-reaching.These findings highlight multilevel factors shaping timely postoperative radiotherapy in rural settings and point to specific opportunities for designing interventions that reduce delays and improve equity in care for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Corresponding Author: Garrett T. Wasp, MD, MPH, Dartmouth Cancer Center, 1 Medical Center Dr, Lebanon, NH 03756 (garrett.t.wasp@hitchcock.org).

Link to the article in your story

We encourage you to link out to this article in your story using the link below. It includes an access token that will give free access to the article for your readers up to one year after publication. (The link will be live after the article publishes and embargo is lifted.)

Please see the article for additional information, including full author list, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest and financial disclosures, and funding and support.

Need more information? Contact us.