Despite having access to top physicians and specialists, city dwellers — including New Yorkers — are less likely to receive early cancer diagnoses than residents of rural settings.

In a study of lung and colorectal patients, those who lived in urban settings sought care at later stages of disease, according to a paper published this month in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.

Last month, the National Association of County and City Health Officials reported that residents of the country’s 54 largest cities had higher mortality rates than the national average. In a comparison of cities, New York had one of the lowest mortality rates among cancer patients, ranking 53 out of 54, where 54 represented the lowest mortality rate. In 2004, there were 170.2 cancer deaths for every 100,000 individuals in the general population, compared to 184.6 cancer deaths out of 100,000 individuals nationwide.

However, New York had one of the highest mortality rates among patients with pneumonia, ranking fourth highest out of 54 cities. It had a mortality rate of 37.1 deaths for every 100,000 individuals compared to 20.4 nationwide.

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LAWMAKERS BACK LEGISLATION ON DOCTOR-RANKING PROGRAMS

Two New York lawmakers are proposing legislation to codify a doctor-ranking model designed by the state Attorney General, Andrew Cuomo.

The state Senate majority leader, Joseph Bruno, and the Assembly speaker, Sheldon Silver, announced yesterday that they would enact the model into law. In recent weeks, six health insurance companies, including the state’s largest private insurer, Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield, have adopted Mr. Cuomo’s model. The model discloses to consumers how cost and quality impact doctor rankings.

Yesterday, a Schenectady insurance company, MVP Health Care, and its Rochester affiliate, Preferred Care, also signed an agreement with Mr. Cuomo.

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HEALTH DEPARTMENT TO AIR NEW ANTI-SMOKING ADVERTISEMENTS

The city’s health department is airing a new anti-smoking advertisement to address the psychological barriers associated with quitting.

The television spot, which will air through December 16, features statements from a smoker who cannot quit, and from an individual suffering from a smoking-related illness. A second spot shows black sludge being squeezed into a beaker from a sponge to show how much tar seeps into a smoker’s lungs each year.

The ad, originally produced for the California Department of Health Services, will cost the health department $1.25 million to air. Nearly a million New Yorkers smoke, although city health officials said 240,000 individuals have quit since 2002.

“Not quitting could cost you your health and your life,” the city’s health commissioner, Dr. Thomas Frieden, said in a statement.

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PUBLIC HOSPITALS REPORT INCREASE IN TESTING FOR HIV, AIDS

On the eve of World AIDS Day on December 1, the city’s public hospital system said it has increased testing for HIV and AIDS by 45%.

The city’s Health and Hospitals Corporation said it tested 134,000 individuals for the virus in 2007, up from 92,000 in 2006.

For the past three years, HHC has made an effort to expand HIV testing and make it a part of routine medical care.

An estimated 100,000 New Yorkers — or one in 70 individuals — are infected with HIV or AIDS, according to the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

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TWO APPOINTMENTS AT NEW YORK EYE AND EAR

The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary has named two new executives to its leadership team as part of an effort to shore up its business development and philanthropy efforts. The hospital named Charles Figliozzi vice president for finance and chief financial officer. It appointed Allan Fine to a new position, vice president of strategy and business development.

The infirmary, situated on East 14th Street, is part of Continuum Health Partners, which includes St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital, Beth Israel Medical Center, and Long Island College Hospital. The infirmary was not impacted by last year’s Berger Commission recommendations.

According to hospital officials, Mr. Fine, a health care consultant, most recently was managing director of a Chicago-based merchant bank, Healthios. Mr. Figliozzi previously served as acting chief financial officer and treasurer at the Brooklyn Hospital Center.

The appointments are part of an executive team overhaul that began this past summer. In July, the hospital’s board of directors named a new president and CEO, D. McWilliams Kessler.

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PROGRAM FOCUSES ON PREVENTING PANCREATIC CANCER

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital Columbia University Medical Center has established a program aimed at preventing pancreatic cancer.

The Muzzi Mirza Pancreatic Prevention Program will rely on a registry that includes family history data, as well as tissue and blood samples. Ultimately, the program will assess patient risk and tailor medical treatment among high-risk individuals.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most serious forms of cancer, and it often spreads undetected. More than half of pancreatic cancer patients are diagnosed when the disease has reached the metastatic stage, at which time a patient’s life expectancy is less than six months.

esolomont@nysun.com