Effectiveness of patient-targeted interventions to increase cancer screening participation in rural areas: A systematic review.

Abstract Background Cancer is a major public health problem worldwide. The GLOBOCAN estimated 18.1 million new cases of cancer and 9.6 million deaths from cancer in 2018. In some of the more frequent cancers, mortality can be significantly reduced through cancer screening programs. Nevertheless, socially disadvantaged groups have difficulties in benefitting from these screening programs, especially rural populations. Objective To identify, characterize and summarize patient-targeted interventions aimed at increasing cancer screening participation among rural populations. Methods An exhaustive literature search was performed in the most relevant bibliographic databases for biomedical researc…