Rural-Urban Differences in Breast Cancer Epidemiology, Nutritional Status, and Clinical Presentation: A Comparative Multi-Center Study from Southern Rajasthan

Khushboo Chouhan

doi:10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i05.87775

Rural-Urban Differences in Breast Cancer Epidemiology, Nutritional Status, and Clinical Presentation: A Comparative Multi-Center Study from Southern Rajasthan

Author(s)	Khushboo Chouhan
Country	India
Abstract	Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in India, but the incidence of a woman suffering from this disease depends on where she lives and what her economic status is. To understand this difference, we have studied the women of age group 18-50 years, comparing rural and urban women of Udaipur, Salumbar, Dungarpur, and Banswara districts. The study shows that women in rural areas take almost twice as long to diagnose and treat the disease, as it takes about 115 to 128 days in rural women, while it has been found to be 62 to 71 days in urban women, depending on their geographical location. Women in rural areas are found to be at a more advanced stage of the disease due to delay because they do not have complete knowledge about this subject and have less access to hospitals. According to the study, approximately 60% of rural women are diagnosed with cancer late, while in urban areas this figure is about 40%. In rural women, the size of the tumor is likely to be larger by the time they reach the hospital. Along with cancer, problems of obesity and overweight are seen in urban areas, while in rural areas, women also have to face problems like malnutrition and anemia. Many reasons have been found behind this, such as less information about breast cancer, lack of transportation to reach the hospital, more distance from the hospital, economic troubles, etc. Therefore, there is a need to make health services directly accessible to women in rural areas. For this, awareness programs at the local level, self-screening, mobile screening vans, easily available cancer screening centers, and better nutritional support should be made available so that cancer can be identified early and help save the lives of women. In conclusion, this study provides us with local information in understanding the real health problems of women in southern Rajasthan. This can help such health departments to formulate schemes that are equitable, effective, and tailored to their needs for both rural and urban women.
Keywords	Breast cancer, rural–urban disparities, diagnostic delay, nutritional status, advanced-stage disease, anemia
Published In	Volume 8, Issue 5, September-October 2026
Published On	2026-09-14
DOI	https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i05.87775

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Rural-Urban Differences in Breast Cancer Epidemiology, Nutritional Status, and Clinical Presentation: A Comparative Multi-Center Study from Southern Rajasthan

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