Cancer treatment deserts are growing as more rural hospitals close and cut services, CBS News reported Aug. 1.
Many hospitals are discontinuing essential services, such as chemotherapy and labor and delivery, due to financial strains and staffing challenges.
Between 2014 and 2022, 382 rural hospitals halted chemotherapy services, Charis, a health analytics and consulting firm, found in a report published this spring. Texas had the highest percentage of rural hospitals that eliminated chemotherapy services at 47%. Next came Alabama (46%), Mississippi (45%), Tennessee (44%), and Florida (39%).
Only eight states — Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Utah and Vermont — did not see a chemotherapy service close, according to the report.
These service cuts come as rural patients already face poorer health outcomes, with lower five-year survival rates after a cancer diagnosis compared to their urban counterparts, according to a 2022 study published in JAMA Network Open.
Editor's note: This article was updated Aug. 2 at 2:40 p.m. CT.