To measure the success with which patients newly entering outpatient care establish regular care, and assess whether race/ethnicity was a predictive factor, we conducted a medical record review of new patients seen 20 April 1998 to 31 December 1998 at The Thomas Street Clinic, a county clinic for uninsured persons. Patients were considered 'not established' if they never saw a physician in the 6 months after intake (the 'initial period'), 'poorly established' if seen but a > 6-month gap in care began in the initial period, and 'established' if there were no such gaps. Of 404 patients, 11% were 'not established', 37% 'poorly established', and 53% 'established'. Injection drug use as HIV risk factor (IDU), admitted current alcohol and drug use, age < 35 years, and CD4 count > or = 200 cells/mm(3) were most common in the 'not established' group and least common in the 'established' group. In multivariate ordinal logistic regression, difficulty establishing care was associated with IDU, admitted current alcohol use, and admitted former drug use. Age > 35 years was protective. Half the indigent patients entering care in this single-site study fail to establish regular care. Substance use and younger age are predictors of failure to establish care.

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Background A significant fraction of OPSCCA cases is associated with traditional carcinogens; in these patients treatment response and clinical outcomes remain poor. Methods We evaluated patient, tumor and treatment characteristics for 200 veterans with OPSCCA treated at the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center (MEDVAMC) between 2000 and 2012. Results Most patients (77%) were white and heavy smokers. Twenty seven patients required tracheostomy and 63 required gastrostomy placement during treatment. Overall survival at 5 years was 40%.. Survival was impacted by T stage, treatment intensity, completion of treatment and p16 tumor status. Almost 30% of patients were unable to complete a treatment regimen consistent with NCCN guidelines. Conclusions OPSCCA in veterans is associated with traditional carcinogens and poor clinical outcomes. Despite heavy smoking exposure, p16 tumor status significantly impacts survival. Careful consideration must be given to improving treatment paradigms for this cohort given their limited tolerance for treatment escalation.