Background Best‐practice guidelines for head and neck cancer patients advise postoperative radiation therapy (PORT) initiation within 6 weeks of surgery. We report our institutional experience improving timeliness of adjuvant radiation in free‐flap patients. Methods Thirty‐nine patients met inclusion criteria in the 2017–2019 study period. We divided into “Early” (n = 19) and “Late” (n = 20) time‐period groups to compare performance over time. The primary endpoint was time to PORT initiation, with success defined as <6 weeks. Results The number of patients achieving timely PORT improved from 10.5% in the Early group to 50.0% in the Late group (p = 0.014). Patients undergoing concurrent adjuvant chemoradiation were more likely to meet the PORT target in the Late group (p = 0.012). Conclusions We ascribe this quality improvement in free‐flap patients to increased communication among multidisciplinary care teams, proactive consultation referrals, and a targeted patient‐navigator intervention. Though work is needed to further improve performance, insight gained from our experience may benefit other teams.
Objective To evaluate the predictive utility of the Hospital Frailty Risk Score (HFRS), a stratification tool based on the ICD-10 ( International Classification of Disease, Tenth Revision), and other risk factors for 30-day readmissions and mortality in a nationally representative cohort. Study Design Retrospective database review. Setting Nationwide Readmissions Database (2017). Methods Patients with head and neck cancer who underwent major surgical procedures were identified from the 2017 Nationwide Readmissions Database, representing 116 medical centers nationwide. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression methods were used to identify factors associated with unplanned 30-day readmission, 30-day readmission mortality, and increased length of hospital stay. Results A total of 14,420 patients underwent major head and neck cancer surgery. Unplanned readmission occurred in 11% of patients. The most common reasons for unplanned readmission were procedural complications (26.5%), sepsis (7.3%), and respiratory failure (3.9%). Elevated frailty index (HFRS ≥5) was identified in 22% of patients. Frailty was associated with higher 30-day readmission rates (18.0% vs 9.5%, P < .01), which held on multivariate modeling (odds ratio [OR], 1.59 [95% CI, 1.37-1.85]). Frail patients spent more days in the hospital (8.2 vs 6.8, P = .02) and incurred more charges across hospital stays ($275,000 vs $188,000, P < .01). Patients >75 years old (OR, 1.26 [1.03-1.55]) and patients with electrolyte abnormalities (OR, 1.25 [1.07-1.46] were significantly more likely to be readmitted. Conclusion In this head and neck cancer surgical population, HFRS significantly predicted unplanned readmission. HFRS is a potential risk stratification tool and should be compared with other methods and explored in other cancer populations. Beyond the challenge of identifying at-risk patients, future work should explore potential interventions aimed at mitigating readmission.
Cancer patients frequently utilize the emergency department (ED) for a variety of diagnoses both related to and unrelated to their cancer, yet ED outcomes for cancer patients are not well documented. This study sought to define risks and identify predictors for inpatient admission and hospital mortality among cancer patients presenting to the ED. Patients and Methods:We utilized the National Emergency Department Sample to identify patients with and without a diagnosis of cancer presenting to the ED between January 2016 and December 2018. We used multivariable mixedeffects logistic regression models to assess the influence of cancer on outcomes of hospital admission after the ED visit and hospital mortality for the whole patient cohort and individual presenting diagnoses.Results: There were 340 million weighted ED visits, of which 8.3 million (2.3%) were associated with a cancer diagnosis. Compared to non-cancer patients, patients with cancer had an increased risk of inpatient admission (64.7% vs. 14.8%; p < 0.0001) and hospital mortality (4.6% vs. 0.5%; p < 0.0001). For each of the top 15 presenting diagnoses, cancer patients had increased risks of hospitalization (odds ratio [OR] range 2.0-13.2) or death (OR range 2.1-14.4). Although our dataset does not contain reliable estimation of stage, cancer site was the most robust individual predictor associated with the risk of hospitalization or death compared to other clinical or system-related factors.Conclusions: Cancer patients in the ED have high risks for hospital admission and death when compared to patients without cancer. Cancer patients represent a distinct population and may benefit from cancer-specific risk stratification or focused interventions to improve outcomes.
Background Black patients with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) historically have inferior outcomes in comparison with White patients. The authors investigated these racial disparities within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), an equal‐access system, and within the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program, which is representative of the US hybrid‐payer system. Methods Patients with invasive (T1 or greater) LSCC were included from SEER (2004‐2015) and the VHA (2000‐2017). The primary outcomes of overall survival (OS) and larynx cancer–specific survival (LCS) were evaluated in Cox and Fine‐Gray models. Results In the SEER cohort (7122 patients: 82.6% White and 17.4% Black), Black patients were more likely to present with advanced disease and had inferior OS (hazard ratio [HR], 1.37; 95% CI, 1.26‐1.50; P < .0001) in a multivariable analysis. Black LCS was worse in a univariable analysis (HR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.27‐1.58; P < .0001), but this effect was attenuated by 83% when the authors controlled for the TNM category and was found to be insignificant in a multivariable analysis (HR, 1.05; 95% CI, 0.93‐1.18; P = .42). In the VHA cohort (9248 patients: 79.7% White and 20.3% Black), the 2 racial cohorts presented with similar tumor characteristics and similar OS (HR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.89‐1.02; P = .14). Black LCS was similar in univariable (HR, 1.10; 95% CI, 1.00‐1.22; P = .05) and multivariable analyses (HR, 1.02; 95% CI, 0.92‐1.14; P = .67). Conclusions Black patients with LSCC had a tumor burden at diagnosis and survival outcomes comparable to those of White patients within the VHA; this was counter to what was observed in the SEER analysis and prior national trends. This study's findings point toward the notable role of health care access in contributing to racial health disparities in the realm of larynx cancer.
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