590 VARIATION IN RECEIPT OF THERAPY AND SURVIVAL WITH PROVIDER-VOLUME IN NON-CURATIVE ESOPHAGO-GASTRIC CANCER: A POPULATION-BASED ANALYSIS

While surgical care by high-volume providers for esophago-gastric cancer (EGC) yields better outcomes, volume-outcome relationships are unknown for systemic therapy. We examined receipt of therapy and outcomes in the non-curative management of EGC based on medical oncology provider-volume. Methods We conducted a population based retrospective cohort study of non-curative EGC over 2005–2017 by linking administrative healthcare datasets. The volume of new EGC consultations per medical oncology provider per year was calculated and divided into quintiles. High-volume (HV) providers were defined as the 4-5th quintiles. Outcomes were receipt of chemotherapy and overall survival (OS). Multivariate logistic and Cox-proportional hazards regressions examined the association between management by HV provider, receipt of systemic therapy, and OS. Results 7,011 EGC patients with non-curative management consulted with medical oncology. One-year OS was superior for HV providers (>11 patients/year), with 28.4% (95%CI: 26.7–30.2%) compared to 25.1% (95%CI: 23.8–26.3%) for low-volume (p < 0.001). After adjusting for age, sex, comorbidity burden, rurality, income quintile, and diagnosis year, HV provider was independently associated with higher odds of receiving chemotherapy (OR 1.13, 95%CI 1.01–1.26), and independently associated with superior OS (HR 0.89, 95%CI 0.84–0.93). Conclusion Medical oncology provider-volume was associated with variation in non-curative management and outcomes of EGC. Care by a HV provider was independently associated with higher odds of receiving chemotherapy and superior OS, after adjusting for case-mix. This information is important to inform disease care pathways and care organization; increase in the number of HV providers may reduce variation and improve outcomes.

Economic evaluation of different routes of surgery for the management of endometrial cancer: a retrospective cohort study

ObjectivesThe benefits of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) for endometrial carcinoma (EC) are well established although the financial impact of robotic-assisted hysterectomy (RH) compared with laparoscopic hysterectomy (LH) is disputed.DesignRetrospective cohort study.SettingEnglish National Health Service hospitals 2011–2017/2018.Participants35 304 women having a hysterectomy for EC identified from Hospital Episode Statistics.Primary and secondary outcome measuresThe primary outcome was the association between route of surgery on cost at intervention, 30, 90 and 365 days for women undergoing an open hysterectomy (OH) or MIS (LH/RH) for EC in England. The average marginal effect was calculated to compare RH versus OH and RH versus LH which adjusted for any differences in the characteristics of the surgical approaches. Secondary outcomes were to analyse costing data for each surgical approach by age, Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) and hospital MIS rate classification.ResultsA total of 35 304 procedures were performed, 20 405 (57.8%) were MIS (LH: 18 604 and RH: 1801), 14 291 (40.5%) OH. Mean cost for LH was significantly less than RH, whereas RH was significantly less than OH at intervention, 30, 90 and 365 days (p<0.001). Over time, patients who underwent RH had increasing CCI scores and by the 2015/2016 year had a higher average CCI than LH. Comparing the cost of LH and RH against CCI score identified that the costs closely reflected the patients’ CCI. Increasing disparity was also seen between the MIS and OH costs with rising age. When exploring the association between provider volume, MIS rate and surgical costs, there was an association with the higher the MIS rate the lower the average cost.ConclusionsFurther research is needed to investigate costs in matched patient cohorts to determine the optimum surgical modality in different populations.

Benefits of High-Volume Medical Oncology Care for Noncurable Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma: A Population-Based Analysis

Background: Although pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PA) surgery performed by high-volume (HV) providers yields better outcomes, volume–outcome relationships are unknown for medical oncologists. This study examined variation in practice and outcomes in noncurative management of PA based on medical oncology provider volume. Methods: This population-based cohort study linked administrative healthcare datasets and included nonresected PA from 2005 through 2016. The volume of PA consultations per medical oncology provider per year was divided into quintiles, with HV providers (≥16 patients/year) constituting the fifth quintile and low-volume (LV) providers the first to fourth quintiles. Outcomes were receipt of chemotherapy and overall survival (OS). The Brown-Forsythe-Levene (BFL) test for equality of variances was performed to assess outcome variability between provider-volume quintiles. Multivariate regression models were used to examine the association between management by HV provider and outcomes. Results: A total of 7,062 patients with noncurable PA consulted with medical oncology providers. Variability was seen in receipt of chemotherapy and median survival based on provider volume (BFL, P<.001 for both), with superior 1-year OS for HV providers (30.1%; 95% CI, 27.7%–32.4%) compared with LV providers (19.7%; 95% CI, 18.5%–20.6%) (P<.001). After adjustment for age at diagnosis, sex, comorbidity burden, rural residence, income, and diagnosis period, HV provider care was independently associated with higher odds of receiving chemotherapy (odds ratio, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.05–1.34) and with superior OS (hazard ratio, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.74–0.84). Conclusions: Significant variation was seen in noncurative management and outcomes of PA based on provider volume, with management by an HV provider being independently associated with superior OS and higher odds of receiving chemotherapy. This information is important to inform disease care pathways and care organization. Cancer care systems could consider increasing the number of HV providers to reduce variation and improve outcomes.

The Outcomes of Emergency Admissions With Ulcerative Colitis Between 2007 and 2017 in England

Background and Aims Patients with ulcerative colitis [UC] may present as emergencies and require rapid escalation of therapy. This study aimed to assess the mortality, colectomy, and readmission risks, during and following a first emergency admission with UC. Methods Using Hospital Episode Statistics, subjects aged between 18 and 60 years, coded with a first emergency admission with UC, were identified between 2007 and 2017. Influences of demographic factors, comorbidity, anti-tumour necrosis factor [TNF] therapy, and provider UC activity on mortality and colectomy were examined. Results A total of 10 051 subjects (46% female; median age 33 years [interquartile range [IQR] 25–44]) were identified. Mortality was 0.2% in hospital and 0.5% at 12 months and, following colectomy during acute admission, it was 1.4% in hospital and 2.1% at 12 months. Females had reduced risk of colectomy during admission: odds ratio [OR] 0.73 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.62–0.85). Comparing the period 2007–2011 with 2012–2017, the rate of colectomy fell during acute admissions: OR 0.85 [0.72–0.99], p = 0.038 and at 12 months after admission: OR 0.73 [0.61–0.87]. Anti-TNF therapy increased 4-fold in acute UC admissions from 2007–2017. Those receiving anti-TNF therapy had a 70% increased risk of colectomy during index admission compared with those not receiving anti-TNF: OR 1.72 [1.29–2.31]. Increased time to colectomy during first admission was associated with female sex: hazard ratio [HR] 0.84 [0.72–0.98] and Asian ethnicity: HR 0.61 [0.44–0.85], whereas reduced time was associated with increased comorbidity, lower deprivation, and high provider volume of colectomies for UC: HR 1.59 [1.31–1.93]. Conclusions Mortality following colectomy was 1.4% in hospital and 2.1% at 12 months, and no significant change over time was observed. Colectomy during emergency admission for UC was less common in females. Rates of anti-TNF therapy during emergency admission for UC have increased and overall colectomy rates have fallen. Podcast This article has an associated podcast which can be accessed at https://academic.oup.com/ecco-jcc/pages/podcast