Table 2.
Patient, tumor, and treatment-related characteristics of the study population according to county status along the rural-urban continuum.
| Variable | Rural (N = 248) | Near-Metro (N = 2,726) | Urban (N = 4,233) | P-Value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (median = 62 years) | |||||
| ≤ 62 years | 119 (48%) | 1,375 (50.4%) | 2,239 (53%) | P=0.064 | |
| ≥ 63 years | 129 (52%) | 1,351 (49.6%) | 1,994 (47.1%) | ||
| Sex | |||||
| Male | 3 (1.1%) | 31 (1.1%) | 38 (0.9%) | P=0.584 | |
| Female | 245 (98.8%) | 2,695 (98.9%) | 4,195 (99.1%) | ||
| Race/Ethnicity | |||||
| Asian | 1 (0.4%) | 156 (5.7%) | 305 (7.2%) | P<0.001 | |
| Black | 3 (1.2%) | 77 (2.8%) | 190 (4.5%) | ||
| Hispanic | 25 (10.1%) | 282 (10.3%) | 292 (6.9%) | ||
| Native American | 0 (0%) | 16 (0.6 %) | 12 (0.3%) | ||
| White | 219 (88.3%) | 2,167 (79.5 %) | 3,421 (80.8%) | ||
| Unknown | 0 (0%) | 28 (1%) | 13 (0.3%) | ||
| T stage | |||||
| T0 | 0 (0%) | 2 (0.1%) | 1 (0.0%) | P<0.07 | |
| T1 | 135 (54.4%) | 1,397 (51.3%) | 2,231 (52.7%) | ||
| T2 | 71 (28.6%) | 955 (35%) | 1,509 (35.7%) | ||
| T3 | 23 (9.3%) | 207 (7.6%) | 271 (6.4%) | ||
| T4 | 7 (2.8%) | 73 (2.7%) | 80 (1.9%) | ||
| TX | 12 (4.8%) | 92 (3.4%) | 141 (3.3%) | ||
| N Stage | |||||
| N0 | 132 (53.2%) | 1,502 (55.1%) | 2,296 (54.2%) | P=0.14 | |
| N1 | 63 (25.4%) | 678 (24.9%) | 1,151 (27.2%) | ||
| N2 | 31 (12.5%) | 282 (10.3%) | 458 (10.8%) | ||
| N3 | 13 (5.2%) | 158 (5.8%) | 198 (4.7%) | ||
| NX | 9 (3.6%) | 106 (3.9%) | 130 (3.1%) | ||
| Tumor Grade | |||||
| I | 40 (16.1%) | 531 (19.5%) | 781 (18.5%) | P=0.003 | |
| II | 112 (45.2%) | 1,108 (40.7%) | 1,670 (39.5%) | ||
| III | 57 (23%) | 833 (30.6%) | 1,327 (31.4%) | ||
| IV | 8 (3.2%) | 30 (1.1%) | 69 (1.6%) | ||
| Unknown | 31 (12.5%) | 224 (8.2%) | 386 (9.1%) | ||
| Histology | |||||
| IDC | 185 (74.6%) | 2,240 (82.2%) | 3,207 (75.8%) | P<0.001 | |
| ILC | 44 (17.7%) | 272 (10%) | 482 (11.4%) | ||
| MDLC | 19 (7.7%) | 214 (7.9%) | 544 (12.9%) | ||
| Estrogen Receptor Status | |||||
| Positive | 176 (71%) | 1,811 (66.4%) | 2,931 (69.2%) | P=0.001 | |
| Negative | 45 (18.2%) | 540 (19.8%) | 817 (19.3%) | ||
| Equivocal | 0 (0%) | 2 (0.1%) | 19 (0.3%) | ||
| Unknown | 27 (10.9%) | 373 (13.7%) | 466 (11%) | ||
| Progesterone Receptor Status | |||||
| Positive | 146 (58.9%) | 1,485 (54.5%) | 2,447 (57.8%) | P<0.001 | |
| Negative | 74 (29.8%) | 841 (30.9%) | 1,245 (29.4%) | ||
| Equivocal | 0 (0%) | 19 (0.7%) | 67 (1.6%) | ||
| Unknown | 28 (11.3%) | 381 (14%) | 474 (11.2%) | ||
| Mastectomy | |||||
| Unilateral | 244 (98.4%) | 2,666 (97.8%) | 4,145 (97.9%) | P=0.808 | |
| Bilateral | 4 (1.6%) | 60 (2.2%) | 88 (2.1%) | ||
| Breast Reconstruction | |||||
| Yes | 15 (6.1%) | 212 (7.8%) | 491 (11.6%) | P<0.001 | |
| No | 106 (42.7%) | 1,067 (39.1%) | 1,661 (39.2%) | ||
| Unknown | 127 (51.2%) | 1,447 (53.1%) | 2,081 (49.2%) | ||
| Radiation | |||||
| Yes | 39 (15.7%) | 448 (16.4%) | 809 (19.1%) | P=0.021 | |
| No | 201 (81.1%) | 2,183 (80.1%) | 3,309 (78.2%) | ||
| Unknown | 8 (3.2%) | 95 (3.5%) | 115 (2.7%) |