Closing the Cancer Equity Gap: Cancer Services in Rural and Medically Underserved Communities

Dear Colleagues,

Despite advances in cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and survival, disparities in cancer outcomes continue to persist in underserved and rural communities. Low-income, rural, and minority populations experience higher incidence, morbidity and mortality rates from cancer than other populations. In addition, these populations suffer higher rates of psychological and physical distress, financial burden, health service use, and in-hospital death. 

Data show that inequities in health care exist across the entire cancer care continuum and are disproportionately affecting medically underserved and rural populations who may encounter cultural, linguistic, economic, and other barriers to care. Etiologies for disparities are multifactorial and include structural factors, such as structural racism and its associated impact on social and economic factors, and health-system-level etiologies, such as inequitable evidence-based cancer care delivery.

For this Special Issue of Current Oncology, we invite submissions that advance the understanding of the disparities in cancer care amongst medically underserved and rural populations as well as those that describe strategies, approaches, and policies along the cancer care continuum that will effectively deliver optimal care for these populations. Underserved communities can include: racial/ethnic minorities, rural populations, First Nations, Inuit, Metis, urban indigenous, aged, adolescent/young adult, LGBTQ, people with disabilities, immigrants and refugees, and under- and uninsured communities. 

Dr. Safiya Karim
Dr. Doreen Ezeife
Dr. Jessica E. Simon
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Current Oncology is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.