Adequacy of the National Quality Forum's Colon Cancer Adjuvant Chemotherapy Quality Metric: Is 4 Months Soon Enough?

Measurement that matters: A systematic review and modified Delphi of multidisciplinary colorectal cancer quality indicators

AIM

To develop a priority set of quality indicators (QIs) for use by colorectal cancer (CRC) multidisciplinary teams (MDTs).

METHODS

The review search strategy was executed in four databases from 2009-August 2019. Two reviewers screened abstracts/manuscripts. Candidate QIs and characteristics were extracted using a tailored abstraction tool and assessed for scientific soundness. To prioritize candidate indicators, a modified Delphi consensus process was conducted. Consensus was sought over two rounds; (1) multidisciplinary expert workshops to identify relevance to Australian CRC MDTs, and (2) an online survey to prioritize QIs by clinical importance.

RESULTS

A total of 93 unique QIs were extracted from 118 studies and categorized into domains of care within the CRC patient pathway. Approximately half the QIs involved more than one discipline (52.7%). One-third of QIs related to surgery of primary CRC (31.2%). QIs on supportive care (6%) and neoadjuvant therapy (6%) were limited. In the Delphi Round 1, workshop participants (n = 12) assessed 93 QIs and produced consensus on retaining 49 QIs including six new QIs. In Round 2, survey participants (n = 44) rated QIs and prioritized a final 26 QIs across all domains of care and disciplines with a concordance level > 80%. Participants represented all MDT disciplines, predominantly surgical (32%), radiation (23%) and medical (20%) oncology, and nursing (18%), across six Australian states, with an even spread of experience level.

CONCLUSION

This study identified a large number of existing CRC QIs and prioritized the most clinically relevant QIs for use by Australian MDTs to measure and monitor their performance.

Use of chemotherapy in patients with oesophageal, stomach, colon, rectal, liver, pancreatic, lung, and ovarian cancer: an International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership (ICBP) population-based study

BACKGROUND

There are few data on international variation in chemotherapy use, despite it being a key treatment type for some patients with cancer. Here, we aimed to examine the presence and size of such variation.

METHODS

This population-based study used data from Norway, the four UK nations (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales), eight Canadian provinces (Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, and Saskatchewan), and two Australian states (New South Wales and Victoria). Patients aged 15-99 years diagnosed with cancer in eight different sites (oesophageal, stomach, colon, rectal, liver, pancreatic, lung, or ovarian cancer), with no other primary cancer diagnosis occurring from within the 5 years before to 1 year after the index cancer diagnosis or during the study period were included in the study. We examined variation in chemotherapy use from 31 days before to 365 days after diagnosis and time to its initiation, alongside related variation in patient group differences. Information was obtained from cancer registry records linked to clinical or patient management system data or hospital administration data. Random-effects meta-analyses quantified interjurisdictional variation using 95% prediction intervals (95% PIs).

FINDINGS

Between Jan 1, 2012, and Dec 31, 2017, of 893 461 patients with a new diagnosis of one of the studied cancers, 111 569 (12·5%) did not meet the inclusion criteria, and 781 892 were included in the analysis. There was large interjurisdictional variation in chemotherapy use for all studied cancers, with wide 95% PIs: 47·5 to 81·2 (pooled estimate 66·4%) for ovarian cancer, 34·9 to 59·8 (47·2%) for oesophageal cancer, 22·3 to 62·3 (40·8%) for rectal cancer, 25·7 to 55·5 (39·6%) for stomach cancer, 17·2 to 56·3 (34·1%) for pancreatic cancer, 17·9 to 49·0 (31·4%) for lung cancer, 18·6 to 43·8 (29·7%) for colon cancer, and 3·5 to 50·7 (16·1%) for liver cancer. For patients with stage 3 colon cancer, the interjurisdictional variation was greater than that for all patients with colon cancer (95% PI 38·5 to 78·4; 60·1%). Patients aged 85-99 years had 20-times lower odds of chemotherapy use than those aged 65-74 years, with very large interjurisdictional variation in this age difference (odds ratio 0·05; 95% PI 0·01 to 0·19). There was large variation in median time to first chemotherapy (from diagnosis date) by cancer site, with substantial interjurisdictional variation, particularly for rectal cancer (95% PI -15·5 to 193·9 days; pooled estimate 89·2 days). Patients aged 85-99 years had slightly shorter median time to first chemotherapy compared with those aged 65-74 years, consistently between jurisdictions (-3·7 days, 95% PI -7·6 to 0·1).

INTERPRETATION

Large variation in use and time to chemotherapy initiation were observed between the participating jurisdictions, alongside large and variable age group differences in chemotherapy use. To guide efforts to improve patient outcomes, the underlying reasons for these patterns need to be established.

FUNDING

International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership (funded by the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer, Cancer Council Victoria, Cancer Institute New South Wales, Cancer Research UK, Danish Cancer Society, National Cancer Registry Ireland, The Cancer Society of New Zealand, National Health Service England, Norwegian Cancer Society, Public Health Agency Northern Ireland on behalf of the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry, DG Health and Social Care Scottish Government, Western Australia Department of Health, and Public Health Wales NHS Trust).

Timing of adjuvant chemotherapy initiation and mortality among colon cancer patients at a safety-net health system

Background

Prior studies reported survival benefits from early initiation of adjuvant chemotherapy for stage III colon cancer, but this evidence was derived from studies that may be sensitive to time-related biases. Therefore, we aimed to estimate the effect of initiating adjuvant chemotherapy ≤8 or ≤ 12 weeks on overall and disease-free survival among stage III colon cancer patients using a study design that helps address time-related biases.

Methods

We used institutional registry data from JPS Oncology and Infusion Center, a Comprehensive Community Cancer Program. Eligible patients were adults aged < 80 years, diagnosed with first primary stage III colon cancer between 2011 and 2017, and received surgical resection with curative intent. We emulated a target trial with sequential eligibility. We subsequently pooled the trials and estimated risk ratios (RRs) along with 95% confidence limits (CL) for all-cause mortality and recurrence or death at 5-years between initiators and non-initiators of adjuvant chemotherapy ≤8 or ≤ 12 weeks using pseudo-observations and a marginal structural model with stabilized inverse probability of treatment weights.

Results

Our study population comprised 222 (for assessing initiation ≤8 weeks) and 310 (for assessing initiation ≤12 weeks) observations, of whom the majority were racial/ethnic minorities (64–65%), or uninsured with or without enrollment in our hospital-based medical assistance program (68–71%). Initiation of adjuvant chemotherapy ≤8 weeks of surgical resection did not improve overall survival (RR for all-cause mortality = 1.04, 95% CL: 0.57, 1.92) or disease-free survival (RR for recurrence or death = 1.07, 95% CL: 0.61, 1.88). The results were similar for initiation of adjuvant chemotherapy ≤12 weeks of surgical resection.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that the overall and disease-free survival benefits of initiating adjuvant chemotherapy ≤8 or ≤ 12 weeks of surgical resection may be overestimated in prior studies, which may be attributable to time-related biases. Nevertheless, our estimates were imprecise and differences in population characteristics are an alternate explanation. Additional studies that address time-related biases are needed to clarify our findings.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12885-022-09688-w.

Are patients living far from hospital at higher risk of late adjuvant chemotherapy for colon cancer?

INTRODUCTION

Late adjuvant chemotherapy (aCT) administration after colectomy (> 56 days) is known to be associated with impaired prognosis. We aim to identify risk factors associated with late aCT, especially the travel time between patients' home and hospital.

METHOD

We performed a retrospective monocentre cohort study. Patients included had a colectomy for a stage III or "high risk" stage II colon cancer between 2009 and 2015 performed at a French university hospital. Risk factors for late aCT were identified using a fractional polynomial logistic regression.

RESULTS

Ninety-four patients were included. The risk of late aCT was associated with travel time length, emergent colectomy, the need for scheduled care before aCT, and length of time between colectomy and postoperative multidisciplinary meeting advising aCT.

CONCLUSION

Our study suggests that, in patients with colon cancer, factors unrelated to disease severity and complexity could be associated with a higher risk of late aCT.

Mortality due to cancer treatment delay: systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

To quantify the association of cancer treatment delay and mortality for each four week increase in delay to inform cancer treatment pathways.

DESIGN

Systematic review and meta-analysis.

DATA SOURCES

Published studies in Medline from 1 January 2000 to 10 April 2020.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR SELECTING STUDIES

Curative, neoadjuvant, and adjuvant indications for surgery, systemic treatment, or radiotherapy for cancers of the bladder, breast, colon, rectum, lung, cervix, and head and neck were included. The main outcome measure was the hazard ratio for overall survival for each four week delay for each indication. Delay was measured from diagnosis to first treatment, or from the completion of one treatment to the start of the next. The primary analysis only included high validity studies controlling for major prognostic factors. Hazard ratios were assumed to be log linear in relation to overall survival and were converted to an effect for each four week delay. Pooled effects were estimated using DerSimonian and Laird random effect models.

RESULTS

The review included 34 studies for 17 indications (n=1 272 681 patients). No high validity data were found for five of the radiotherapy indications or for cervical cancer surgery. The association between delay and increased mortality was significant (P<0.05) for 13 of 17 indications. Surgery findings were consistent, with a mortality risk for each four week delay of 1.06-1.08 (eg, colectomy 1.06, 95% confidence interval 1.01 to 1.12; breast surgery 1.08, 1.03 to 1.13). Estimates for systemic treatment varied (hazard ratio range 1.01-1.28). Radiotherapy estimates were for radical radiotherapy for head and neck cancer (hazard ratio 1.09, 95% confidence interval 1.05 to 1.14), adjuvant radiotherapy after breast conserving surgery (0.98, 0.88 to 1.09), and cervix cancer adjuvant radiotherapy (1.23, 1.00 to 1.50). A sensitivity analysis of studies that had been excluded because of lack of information on comorbidities or functional status did not change the findings.

CONCLUSIONS

Cancer treatment delay is a problem in health systems worldwide. The impact of delay on mortality can now be quantified for prioritisation and modelling. Even a four week delay of cancer treatment is associated with increased mortality across surgical, systemic treatment, and radiotherapy indications for seven cancers. Policies focused on minimising system level delays to cancer treatment initiation could improve population level survival outcomes.

The influence of socioeconomic position on adjuvant treatment of stage III colon cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Patients with colon cancer (CC) with low socioeconomic position (SEP) have a worse survival than patients with high SEP. We investigated the association between different socioeconomic indicators and the steps in the treatment trajectory leading to initiation of adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT) for patients with stage III CC.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A systematic review and meta-analyses were conducted in accordance with the MOOSE checklist. MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched for eligible studies. Meta-analyses were performed on the separate socioeconomic indicators with the random-effects model. The heterogeneity across studies was assessed by the Q and the I ² statistic.

RESULTS

In total, 27 observational studies were included. SEP was measured by insurance, income, poverty, employment, education, or an index on an area or individual level. SEP, regardless of indicator, was negatively associated with the steps in the treatment trajectory leading to initiation of ACT among patients with resected stage III CC. The meta-analyses showed that patients with low SEP had a significantly lower odds of receiving ACT and increased odds of delayed treatment start, whereas SEP had no impact on the choice of therapy: combination or single-agent therapy.

CONCLUSION

SEP was associated with less initiation of and higher risk for delayed initiation of ACT. Our findings suggest there is a social disparity in receipt of ACT in patients with stage III CC.

Timing of Adjuvant Chemotherapy and Survival in Colorectal, Gastric, and Pancreatic Cancer. A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

(1) Background: The optimal timing of adjuvant chemotherapy (CT) in gastrointestinal malignancies is still a matter of debate. For colorectal cancer, it is recommended to start post-operative treatment within eight weeks. The objective of this study was to assess the clinical effects of starting adjuvant CT within or after 6–8 weeks post-surgery in colorectal, gastric, and pancreatic cancer. (2) Methods: MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library were searched in December 2018. Publications comparing the outcomes of patients treated with adjuvant CT administered before (early) or after (delayed) 6–8 weeks post-surgery for colorectal, gastric, and pancreatic cancer were identified. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS). (3) Results: Out of 8752 publications identified, 34 comparative studies assessing a total of 141,853 patients were included. Meta-analysis indicated a statistically significant increased risk of death with delayed CT (>6–8 weeks post-surgery) in colorectal cancer (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.27, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.21–1.33; p <0.001). Similarly, for gastric cancer, delaying adjuvant CT was associated with inferior overall survival (HR = 1.2, 95% CI 1.04–1.38; p = 0.01). Conversely, the benefit of earlier CT was not evident in pancreatic cancer (HR = 1, 95% CI 1–1.01; p = 0.37). Conclusions: Starting adjuvant CT within 6–8 weeks post-surgery is associated with a significant survival benefit for colorectal and gastric cancer, but not for pancreatic cancer.

The accuracy of chemotherapy ascertainment among colorectal cancer patients in the surveillance, epidemiology, and end results registry program

BACKGROUND

Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) public research database does not include chemotherapy data due to concerns for incomplete ascertainment. To compensate for perceived lack of data quality many researchers use SEER-Medicare linked data, limiting studies to persons over age 65. We sought to determine current SEER ascertainment of chemotherapy receipt in two relatively large SEER registries compared to patient-reported receipt and to assess patterns of under-ascertainment.

METHODS

In 2011-14, we surveyed patients with Stage III colorectal cancer reported to the Georgia and Metropolitan Detroit SEER registries. 1301/1909 eligible patients responded (68% response rate). Survey responses regarding treatment and sociodemographic factors were merged with SEER data. We compared patient-reported chemotherapy receipt with SEER recorded chemotherapy receipt. We estimated multivariable regression models to assess associations of under-ascertainment in SEER.

RESULTS

Eighty-five percent of patients reported chemotherapy receipt. Among those, 10% (n = 104) were under-ascertained in SEER (coded as not receiving chemotherapy). In unadjusted analyses, under-ascertainment was more common for older patients (11.8% age 76+ vs. < 9% for all other ages, p = 0.01) and varied with SEER registries (10.2% Detroit vs. 6.8% Georgia; p = 0.04). On multivariable analyses, chemotherapy under-ascertainment did not vary significantly by any patient attributes.

CONCLUSION

We found a 10% rate of under-ascertainment of adjuvant chemotherapy for resected, stage III colorectal cancer in two SEER registries. Chemotherapy under-ascertainment did not disproportionately affect any patient subgroups. Use of SEER data from select registries is an important resource for researchers investigating contemporary chemotherapy receipt and outcomes.

Delivery of adjuvant chemotherapy among stage III colon cancer patients at a public versus private hospital in New York City

PURPOSE

Prior studies of timeliness of adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) initiation in stage III colon cancer have suggested longer time to AC at public compared with private hospitals. Few studies have explored differences in AC completion. We investigated whether timely initiation and completion of AC differed between a public and private hospital, affiliated with the same academic institution in a large, urban setting.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective cohort study of stage III colon cancer patients who had surgery and AC at the same medical center between 2008 and 2015, either at its affiliated public hospital (n = 43) or private hospital (n = 79). We defined timely initiation as receiving AC within 60 days postoperatively, and completion as receiving ≥ 75% of planned AC. Univariate and stepwise multivariable logistic regressions were used to identify factors associated with AC delivery.

RESULTS

Median number of days to AC was significantly greater among patients at the public (53, range 31-231) compared with the private hospital (43, range 25-105; p = 0.002). However, the percentage of patients with timely AC initiation did not differ substantially by hospital (74 vs 81%, p = 0.40). In multivariable analysis, age (OR 0.95/year, 95% CI 0.91-0.99) and laparoscopic versus open surgery (OR 5.65, 95% CI 1.92-16.62) were significant factors associated with timely AC initiation. Moreover, AC completion did not differ significantly between public (83.7%) and private (89.9%) hospital patients (p = 0.32).

CONCLUSIONS

The proportions of patients with timely initiation and completion of AC were similar at a public and private hospital affiliated with a large, urban medical center. Future research should investigate how specific system-level factors help alleviate this expected difference in timely care delivery.

The impact of delayed commencement of adjuvant chemotherapy (eight or more weeks) on survival in stage II and III colon cancer: a national population-based cohort study

BACKGROUND

To examine the impact of chemotherapy delay on survival in patients with stage II or III colon cancer and the factors associated with the delay (≥8 weeks) of adjuvant chemotherapy.

METHODS

Patients undergoing curative resection and adjuvant chemotherapy in a national population-based cohort were included.

RESULTS

Among 5355 patients, 154 (2.9%) received chemotherapy more than 8 weeks after surgery. Based on a multivariate analysis, the risk factors associated with chemotherapy delay ≥8 weeks were older age [65 to 74 years (hazard ratio [HR]=1.48) and ≥75 years (HR=1.69), p=0.0354], medical aid status in the health security system (HR=1.76, p=0.0345), and emergency surgery (HR=2.43, p=0.0002). Using an 8-week cutoff, the 3-year overall survival rate was 89.62% and 80.98% in the <8 weeks and ≥8 weeks groups, respectively (p=0.008). Independent prognostic factors for inferior overall survival included chemotherapy delay ≥8 weeks (HR=1.49, p=0.0365), older age [65 to 74 years (HR=1.94) and ≥75 years (HR=3.41), p<0.0001], TNM stage III (HR=2.46, p<0.0001), emergency surgery (HR=1.89, p<0.0001), American Society of Anesthesiologists score of 3 or higher (HR=1.50, p<0.0001), and higher transfusion amounts (HR=1.09, p=0.0392).

CONCLUSIONS

This study shows that delayed commencement of adjuvant chemotherapy, defined as ≥ 8 weeks, is associated with inferior overall survival in colon cancer patients with stage II or III disease. The delay to initiation of adjuvant chemotherapy is influenced by several multidimensional factors, including patient factors (older age), insurance status (medical aid), and treatment-related factors (emergency surgery).

Utility of Adjuvant Chemotherapy After Neoadjuvant Chemoradiation and Esophagectomy for Esophageal Cancer

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) after neoadjuvant chemoradiation and esophagectomy is associated with improved overall survival for patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer, and to evaluate how pathologic disease response to neoadjuvant treatment impacts this effect.

BACKGROUND

Neoadjuvant chemoradiation is currently the preferred management approach for locoregional esophageal cancer. Although there is interest in the use of AC, the benefit of systemic therapy after neoadjuvant chemoradiation and esophagectomy is unclear.

METHODS

Retrospective cohort study of patients with esophageal cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiation and esophagectomy in the National Cancer Data Base (2006-2012).

RESULTS

Among 3592 patients with esophageal cancer (84.7% adenocarcinoma, 15.2% squamous cell carcinoma), 335 (9.3%) were treated with AC. AC was not associated with a significantly lower risk of death among patients with no residual disease (ypT0N0) or residual non-nodal disease (ypT+N0). Among patients with residual nodal disease (ypTanyN+), AC was associated with a 30% lower risk of death in the overall cohort [hazard ratio (HR) 0.70, (0.57-0.85)] and among those with adenocarcinoma [HR 0.69 (0.57-0.85)]. Using a 90-day postoperative landmark, findings were similar. Among patients with postoperative length of stay ≤10 days and no unplanned readmission, AC was associated with approximately 40% lower risk of death among patients with residual nodal disease [overall cohort, HR 0.63 (0.48-0.84); adenocarcinoma, HR 0.66 (0.49-0.88)].

CONCLUSIONS

AC after neoadjuvant chemoradiation and esophagectomy is associated with improved survival in patients with residual nodal disease. Our findings suggest AC may provide additional benefit for esophageal cancer patients, and merits further investigation.