Reduced Survival Outcome After Receiving a New Cancer Diagnosis in the Emergency Department: Findings from a Hospital Network in Rural Eastern North Carolina.

Purpose: Patients whose cancer was found during an Emergency Department (ED) visit often present at later stages when survival outcomes are worse. Limited research has characterized the survival experience of cancer patients who receive their diagnosis through the ED versus those who do not.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study identified all patients presenting to the ED between 2014 and 2015 in a rural, regional hospital system with a visit or resulting admission associated with an oncologic ICD-9 code.