Association of Primary Care Physician Density With Metastatic Cancer at Initial Diagnosis: A Population-Based Study of 7 Cancers.
7 affiliations
- 1Department of Surgery, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA.
- 2Department of Health Economics, Systems, and Policy, Peter O'donnell Jr. School of Public Health, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA.
- 3Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA.
- 4Research and Development Service, Dallas VA Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA.
- 5Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
- 6Department of Surgery, Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA.
- 7Department of Surgery, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA.
Abstract
Background
Patients with metastatic cancer at initial diagnosis have the worst prognosis. Despite their involvement in initial assessment, the relationship between Primary Care Physician availability and metastatic cancer at initial diagnosis remains unexplored. Our objective was to determine whether Primary Care Physician availability is associated with patients having metastatic cancer at initial diagnosis.Methodology
This was a cross-sectional study of patients aged ≥ 18 and diagnosed with breast, colorectal, liver, lung, ovarian, pancreatic, or prostate cancer from 2015 to 2019. Population-based Texas and California cancer registries were used for patient data. The main exposure was county-level Primary Care Physician density per 3500 individuals. Additional exposures included demographic factors, insurance, rural-urban continuum codes, county poverty rates, and US State at Diagnosis. The primary outcome was adjusted odds of metastatic cancer at initial diagnosis. Subgroup analyses based on insurance type, age group, and metropolitan residence were performed. Models were stratified by cancer type.Results
Overall, 708,451 patients were included. On combined multivariable analysis, with each additional Primary Care Physician per 3500 individuals, the odds for primary outcome decreased by 2% to 6%. In a stratified analysis using Primary Care Physician density per 3500 individuals as a categorical variable, compared with counties with < 1 Primary Care Physician, counties with 3 or more Primary Care Physicians had reduced odds of primary outcome for multiple cancer types with no statistically significant difference for counties with 1-1.9 Primary Care Physicians.Conclusion
Increased Primary Care Physician availability was associated with a nonlinear decrease in odds for metastatic cancer at diagnosis. Thus, increasing physician density can possibly lower the likelihood of metastatic cancer at initial diagnosis.
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BibTeX
@article{khan2026association,
title = {{Association of Primary Care Physician Density With Metastatic Cancer at Initial Diagnosis: A Population-Based Study of 7 Cancers.}},
author = {Muhammad Sohaib Khan and Tammy Leonard and Bella Etingen and Saad Mallick and Natalie Williams and Herbert J Zeh and Patricio M Polanco},
journal = {Cancer medicine},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1002/cam4.72269},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42897120},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Association of Primary Care Physician Density With Metastatic Cancer at Initial Diagnosis: A Population-Based Study of 7 Cancers.
AU - Muhammad Sohaib Khan
AU - Tammy Leonard
AU - Bella Etingen
AU - Saad Mallick
AU - Natalie Williams
AU - Herbert J Zeh
AU - Patricio M Polanco
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - Cancer medicine
DO - 10.1002/cam4.72269
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42897120
AB - Background Patients with metastatic cancer at initial diagnosis have the worst prognosis. Despite their involvement in initial assessment, the relationship between Primary Care Physician availability and metastatic cancer at initial diagnosis remains unexplored. Our objective was to determine whether Primary Care Physician availability is associated with patients having metastatic cancer at initial diagnosis.Methodology This was a cross-sectional study of patients aged ≥ 18 and diagnosed with breast, colorectal, liver, lung, ovarian, pancreatic, or prostate cancer from 2015 to 2019. Population-based Texas and California cancer registries were used for patient data. The main exposure was county-level Primary Care Physician density per 3500 individuals. Additional exposures included demographic factors, insurance, rural-urban continuum codes, county poverty rates, and US State at Diagnosis. The primary outcome was adjusted odds of metastatic cancer at initial diagnosis. Subgroup analyses based on insurance type, age group, and metropolitan residence were performed. Models were stratified by cancer type.Results Overall, 708,451 patients were included. On combined multivariable analysis, with each additional Primary Care Physician per 3500 individuals, the odds for primary outcome decreased by 2% to 6%. In a stratified analysis using Primary Care Physician density per 3500 individuals as a categorical variable, compared with counties with < 1 Primary Care Physician, counties with 3 or more Primary Care Physicians had reduced odds of primary outcome for multiple cancer types with no statistically significant difference for counties with 1-1.9 Primary Care Physicians.Conclusion Increased Primary Care Physician availability was associated with a nonlinear decrease in odds for metastatic cancer at diagnosis. Thus, increasing physician density can possibly lower the likelihood of metastatic cancer at initial diagnosis.
SN - 2045-7634
ER -