Colon cancer patients living in rural areas are less likely to receive an early diagnosis, chemotherapy or thorough surgical treatment compared to patients living in urban areas, according to a recent study led by Christopher J. Chow, MD, a surgical resident at the University of Minnesota.

Chow found rural residents are 5 percent more likely to die from their colon cancer than urban patients. He believes surgeons treating both rural and urban patients should start targeting rural patients to ensure they receive care as high quality as urban patients.