Contrary finding?

From the Journal of the American College of Surgeons article "Rural Versus Urban Colorectal and Lung Cancer Patients: Differences in Stage at Presentation":

Background

Rural surgeons are often uneasy when their outcomes are compared with those of urban surgeons because they perceive that rural patients typically present with worse disease. Rural patients with cancer are commonly thought to present at a later stage of disease, although this is based largely on anecdotal evidence.

...

Conclusions

Urban rather than rural residence appears to be associated with later stages of lung and colorectal cancer at presentation. This finding is contrary to the common assumption that rural patients present at later stages of disease.

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