Cancer-related health behaviors during the COVID 19 pandemic in geographically diverse samples across the US.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic involved business closures (e.g., gyms), social distancing policies, and prolonged stressful situations that may have impacted engagement in health behaviors.

Comparison of outcomes by race among a population-based matched sample of multiple myeloma patients.

Purpose: It is important to understand racial inequities in multiple myeloma treatment and survival, particularly in the Midwest where clear differences exist in cancer incidence and mortality. Since age and geographic location can greatly impact treatment and prognosis, matching patients on these characteristics can help identify reasons for outcome differences.

Methods: Retrospective data from the Iowa Cancer Registry's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database were analyzed for adult patients diagnosed with first primary MM between 1/1/2010-12/31/2019.

Identifying predictors of COVID-related delays in cancer-specific medical care.

Purpose: Evidence of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer prevention and control is growing, but little is known about patient-level factors associated with delayed care. We analyzed data from a survey focused on Iowan cancer patients' COVID-19 experiences in the early part of the pandemic.

Methods: Participants were recruited from the University of Iowa Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center's Patients Enhancing Research Collaborations at Holden (PERCH) program.

Perspectives on Referring for Rectal Cancer Surgery: a Survey Study of Gastroenterologist and General Surgeons in Iowa.

Purpose: To understand referral practices for rectal cancer surgical care and to secondarily determine differences in referral practices by two main hypothesized drivers of referral: the rurality of the community endoscopists' practice and their affiliation with a colorectal surgeon.

Methods: Community gastroenterologists and general surgeons in Iowa completed a mailed questionnaire on practice demographics, volume, and referral practices for rectal cancer patients. Rurality was operationalized with RUCA codes.

Well-being and stress vulnerability in ovarian cancer survivors during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective: This study was designed to examine (1) whether ovarian cancer (OC) survivors would have greater well-being vs. elevated distress compared to community members during a universal health stressor (COVID-19) and (2) how resources and risk factors at diagnosis predicted vulnerability to a subsequent health-related stressor.

Methods: One hundred seventeen OC survivors were recruited from two academic medical centers and compared to a community-based sample on COVID-related distress and disruption.

Comparing COVID-19 Response Behaviors between a Cancer Patient Sample and a Population-Based Cancer-Free Sample in a Rural Midwestern State.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic caused an increase in fear, anxiety, and depressive symptoms globally. For populations at increased risk for adverse outcomes due to illness, such as cancer patients, these worries may have been exacerbated. Understanding how the pandemic impacted cancer patients will inform better preparation for future events that cause disturbances to cancer care delivery.

Association of Distance to Gynecologic Oncologist and Survival in a Rural Midwestern State.

Objectives: Rural ovarian cancer patients experience worse survival compared to urban patients. We assessed whether distance to gynecologic oncology specialists was associated with survival for patients in a rural state.

Methods: Demographic, tumor, and treatment characteristics were extracted from the Iowa Cancer Registry for patients diagnosed between 1990 and 2018.

Rural and urban differences in perceptions, behaviors, and health care disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Purpose: The objective of this study was to assess perceptions, health behaviors, and disruptions related to the COVID-19 pandemic in a largely rural, Midwestern state, and to examine differences between rural and urban respondents.

Methods: A questionnaire was mailed August 2020 to a sample of 10,009 registered voters in Iowa ages 18-100 years, with oversampling from 6 select rural counties. Previously validated and tested items assessed COVID-19 precautions, health care disruptions, emotional reactions, health behavior changes, telehealth and experiences with the internet, and demographic characteristics.

Disparity of ovarian cancer survival between urban and rural settings.

Objective: To determine if there is a difference in overall survival of patients with epithelial ovarian cancer in rural, urban, and metropolitan settings in the United States.

Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study using 2004-2016 National Cancer Database (NCDB) data including high and low grade, stage I-IV disease. Bivariate analyses used Student's t-test for continuous variables and χ test for dichotomous variables.