Lawrence LA, Heuermann ML, Javadi P, et al. - This retrospective single-institution study was conducted to examine the association between rurality, socioeconomic status (SES), and patient/tumor characteristics among patients suffering from head and neck cancer. Participants were 266 patients in total. An association was found between rural residence and lower SES. T and N stages were identified to be related to rurality. A link of higher educational status with oropharyngeal cancer was evident. Findings revealed that distinct effects were exerted by rurality and SES on patients with head and neck cancer. Particularly, rurality was found to be related to tumor stage among patients with head and neck cancer. Understanding of differences among patients with rural residency may assist target interventions to facilitate earlier diagnosis.