Original Article


Disparities in major surgery for esophagogastric cancer among hospitals by case volume

Emmanuel Gabriel, Sumana Narayanan, Kristopher Attwood, Steven Hochwald, Moshim Kukar, Steven Nurkin

Abstract

Background: The purpose of this study was to characterize disparities among centers performing major surgery for esophageal or gastric cancer stratified by case volume.
Methods: The National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) was queried for cases of esophagectomy or total gastrectomy. Centers were compared based on number of cases during 2004–2013: low volume [1–99], middle [100–200], and high [>200].
Results: For esophagectomy, 17,547 patients were included; 73.5% were treated in low volume centers, 14.6% in middle, and 11.9% in high. For gastrectomy, 20,059 patients were included, with 87.5%, 8.3%, and 4.3%, respectively. Patients treated at low volume centers were more likely to be of racial/ethnic minorities, uninsured, and have lower socioeconomic status. Overall survival (OS) was superior for patients treated at high volume centers. On multivariable analysis for either procedure, a higher number of disparate factors was identified in the low and middle volume centers compared to the high volume centers, which were associated with poorer OS.
Conclusions: This study identified higher numbers of disparate patient factors associated with low/middle volume centers compared to high volume centers, which were associated with worse OS, and further makes the case for performance of esophagectomy and total gastrectomy at high volume centers.

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