Cancer Prevention and Treatment in Rural Areas – Models and Innovations

These stories feature model programs and successful rural projects that can serve as a source of ideas and provide lessons others have learned. Some of the projects or programs may no longer be active. Read about the criteria and evidence-base for programs included.

Evidence-Based Examples

Chronic Disease Self-Management Program

Updated/reviewed November 2025

• Need: To help people with chronic conditions learn how to manage their health.
• Intervention: A small-group 6-week workshop for individuals with chronic conditions to learn skills and strategies to manage their health.
• Results: Participants have better health and quality of life, including reduction in pain, fatigue, and depression.

Project ENABLE (Educate, Nurture, Advise, Before Life Ends)

Updated/reviewed May 2025

• Need: To enhance palliative care access to rural patients with serious illness, such as advanced cancer, heart failure, and COPD, and their family caregivers.
• Intervention: Project ENABLE consists of: 1) an initial in-person palliative care consultation with a specialty-trained provider and 2) a semi-structured series of weekly, phone-delivered, nurse-led or palliative care coach/navigator sessions designed to help patients and their caregivers enhance their problem-solving, symptom management, and coping skills.
• Results: Patients and caregivers report higher quality of life and lower rates of depression and (caregiver) burden.

Promising Examples

The Rural Virtual Infusion Program

Updated/reviewed November 2025

• Need: Allow rural cancer patients in a region inclusive of 26 counties in Iowa, Minnesota, and South Dakota to have access to tertiary-level chemotherapy regimens administered in rural infusion centers.
• Intervention: With telehealth-based oversight from a tertiary care oncology team, 3 rural infusion teams were trained to coordinate cancer treatment plans and administer complex chemotherapy regimens.
• Results: The original grant-supported effort — with its results of saving 130 patients 65,000 trip miles and 1,800 travel hours – proved sustainable.

Other Project Examples

Mind Your BEAT

Updated/reviewed January 2026

• Need: Rural cancer survivors report lower levels of physical activity and higher rates of psychosocial distress compared to their urban counterparts.
• Intervention: Researchers collaborated with a rural-serving organization in northeast Texas to test a 3-month intervention which enhanced an existing exercise program with behavioral health education, yoga, and home-based exercise components.
• Results: Program participants were twice as likely to report meeting physical activity recommendations at post-intervention than participants in a control group and reported significant reductions in psychosocial distress.