Table 1 Clinical questions

Survival outcomes

Q1. For individuals diagnosed with colorectal cancer, do those who reside in non-metropolitan areas have poorer survival rates than those living in metropolitan areas in Australia?

Patient and cancer characteristics

Q2. For individuals diagnosed with colorectal cancer, do non-metropolitan populations have different sociodemographic characteristics compared with metropolitan populations in Australia?

Q3. For individuals diagnosed with colorectal cancer, do those living in non-metropolitan areas have a more advanced stage of cancer at diagnosis compared with people living in metropolitan Australia?

Diagnostic and treatment characteristics

Q4. For individuals who are in the colorectal cancer screening target group, are those residing in non-metropolitan areas less likely to access screening services compared with people residing in metropolitan areas of Australia?

Q5. For individuals with colorectal cancer, are there differences in the clinical management of those who reside in non-metropolitan areas and people residing in metropolitan areas of Australia?

Q6. Are individuals with colorectal cancer who live in non-metropolitan areas less likely to receive recommended clinical management compared with those who live in metropolitan areas in Australia?

Q7. For individuals who have colorectal cancer, are those who live in non-metropolitan areas less likely to complete prescribed treatment than those who live in metropolitan areas in Australia?

Q8. For individuals with colorectal cancer, are those in non-metropolitan areas more likely to experience delays in referral to, and examination by, colorectal cancer specialist clinicians compared with those living in Australia’s metropolitan areas?

Q9. For individuals with colorectal cancer, are those in non-metropolitan areas less likely to participate in recommended follow-up compared with those living in metropolitan areas in Australia?

Q10. Are patients with colorectal cancer who reside in non-metropolitan areas more likely to have stomas as part of their treatment than patients residing in metropolitan areas?

Psychosocial outcomes and quality of life

Q11. Do patients who reside in non-metropolitan areas have less support with stomas than patients who reside in metropolitan areas, and does this impact on differences in quality of life?

Q12. In individuals with colorectal cancer, do those living in non-metropolitan areas have less access to psychosocial care compared to those living in metropolitan areas of Australia?

Q13. For individuals with colorectal cancer, do those residing in non-metropolitan areas have poorer quality of life after treatment compared with those in metropolitan areas in Australia?

Q14. For individuals with colorectal cancer, are those who reside in non-metropolitan areas more likely to experience greater psychological distress than those who live in metropolitan areas in Australia?