PreprintShort NoteVersion 1Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed
Image Guided Superficial Radiation Therapy Expands Access to a Multidisciplinary Cancer Care Model that Optimizes Outcomes for Underserved Rural Medical Beneficiaries
Version 1
: Received: 31 March 2024 / Approved: 1 April 2024 / Online: 1 April 2024 (13:32:28 CEST)
How to cite:
Ma, L.; Stricker, J.; Hopkins, J.; Rowe, R.; Harris, P. Image Guided Superficial Radiation Therapy Expands Access to a Multidisciplinary Cancer Care Model that Optimizes Outcomes for Underserved Rural Medical Beneficiaries. Preprints2024, 2024040056. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202404.0056.v1
Ma, L.; Stricker, J.; Hopkins, J.; Rowe, R.; Harris, P. Image Guided Superficial Radiation Therapy Expands Access to a Multidisciplinary Cancer Care Model that Optimizes Outcomes for Underserved Rural Medical Beneficiaries. Preprints 2024, 2024040056. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202404.0056.v1
Ma, L.; Stricker, J.; Hopkins, J.; Rowe, R.; Harris, P. Image Guided Superficial Radiation Therapy Expands Access to a Multidisciplinary Cancer Care Model that Optimizes Outcomes for Underserved Rural Medical Beneficiaries. Preprints2024, 2024040056. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202404.0056.v1
APA Style
Ma, L., Stricker, J., Hopkins, J., Rowe, R., & Harris, P. (2024). Image Guided Superficial Radiation Therapy Expands Access to a Multidisciplinary Cancer Care Model that Optimizes Outcomes for Underserved Rural Medical Beneficiaries. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202404.0056.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Ma, L., Russell Rowe and Peyton Harris. 2024 "Image Guided Superficial Radiation Therapy Expands Access to a Multidisciplinary Cancer Care Model that Optimizes Outcomes for Underserved Rural Medical Beneficiaries" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202404.0056.v1
Abstract
The shortage of physicians in rural communities contributes to increased mortality rates among Medicare beneficiaries. This increase in mortality risk is commonly due to diseases such as heart disease and cancer, including melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC). Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) is considered the gold-standard treatment for NMSC tumors, however, due to a shortage of dermatologists and Mohs surgeons in rural areas, access to MMS is limited. In these areas, image guided superficial radiation therapy (IGSRT) serves as a viable option for the treatment of NMSC lesions, with fewer recurrences and 99% cure rates, which are comparable to MMS cure rates. IGSRT is performed in dermatology clinics with support from a multidisciplinary team, including radiation therapists, medical physicists, radiation oncologists, and dermatologists. As IGSRT is able to be performed by general dermatologists, Medicare beneficiaries in rural communities will have an increase in access to treatment options and a decrease in delayed skin cancer treatment.
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
