Rural Disadvantage in Glioblastoma Concentrates in the Early Postoperative Period: A Single-Center, Treatment-Standardized Cohort Study

Lay Summary Patients diagnosed with glioblastoma often experience differences in care depending on where they live. We examined six years of patient data from a tertiary care center that frequently serves rural populations to determine whether living in areas with lower population density, longer travel distances to care, or lower average regional income influenced survival after surgery. We found that patients from smaller or farther to care communities had worse survival within the first 90 days after surgery. These findings identify the early postoperative period as a critical window where survival disparities are most pronounced for patients in low-population or remote communities.