Cancer of the head and neck: a set of indicators based on register and administrative data.

Cancer of the head and neck: a set of indicators based on register and administrative data. Acta Otorhinolaryngol Ital. 2018 Feb;38(1):13-23 Authors: Andreano A, Ansarin M, Alterio D, Bruschini R, Valsecchi MG, Russo AG Abstract SUMMARY: Head and neck (H&N) tumours are a heterogeneous group of neoplasms with 5-year relative survival ranging from about 25% for the hypopharynx to 60% for the larynx in Europe. To improve survival rates, along with therapeutic improvements, it is important to standardise and optimise care received by patients with H&N tumours across different healthcare providers. To reach this goal, it is necessary to evaluate adherence to standards of received care at a population level. Published guidelines can serve as the basis to develop indicators, which can be computed from administrative health databases, measuring the adherence to specific recommendations at the individual level in unselected H&N cancer patients, identified from a population cancer register. We developed a set of indicators and calculated them in a cohort of 2007-2012 incident cases of H&N tumours in the cancer register of the Milan province (n = 1441 cases). The study cohort was mainly composed of men (77%) and patients older than 50 years (89%). Surgery was the most frequently employed treatment (66%). Ten percent of patients had no recorded treatment. Timing between cyto-histological assessment and first therapy for those hav...
Source: Acta Otorhinolaryngologica Italica - Category: ENT & OMF Tags: Acta Otorhinolaryngol Ital Source Type: research