Lake Superior Rural Cancer Care Project, part I: an interventional trial

PURPOSE To date, effective cancer care and control intervention studies have been carried out largely in urban and suburban populations. This study was conducted to test innovative interventions, using experimental designs, to improve the care and outcomes of patients with cancer in rural settings. DESCRIPTION OF STUDY The Lake Superior Rural Cancer Care Project (LSRCCP) tested an innovative, multimodal, multidisciplinary intervention that involved rural healthcare providers and their healthcare system. An experimental design was used, with the rural community as the unit of randomization. Outcomes were measured at three levels: rural providers' knowledge of cancer management, providers' practice performance, and patient outcomes. This 5-year study was conducted in rural areas of northern Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the western part of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. RESULTS Baseline data from the study are provided, and details of the design and methods are presented. The study outcomes are reported in part in "Lake Superior Rural Cancer Care Project Part II" in this issue and will be reported further in future issues. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS This article describes the hypotheses, design, and methods of the LSRCCP. The design and methods as well as the results of this study may be useful to cancer researchers and clinicians in rural areas across the United States.