A study by Karyn Stitzenberg, MD, MPH, assistant professor of surgery and member of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, shows that surgical oncologists comprise only a small portion of the number of surgeons who perform cancer surgery.
The study was discussed at the Society of Surgical Oncology’s 66th Annual Cancer Symposium on March 8, 2013.
Only 303 counties in the U.S. have a surgical oncologist, a number which includes less than 8 percent of U.S. counties. The majority of those are located in metropolitan areas near the coasts. One area where surgical oncologists do perform the majority of surgeries is with patients with rare and complex tumors.
For more on the study, see the presentation report from Medscape Today.