Superior Survival Associated with Treatment at NCI-designated Cancer Centers

the Cancer Therapy Advisor take:

Patients with adult-onset cancer who were treated at National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers (NCICCCs) demonstrated greater survival compared to patients treated at non-NCICCCs, according to an article published online in the journal Cancer.

Participants in the study included 69,579 patients who were recently diagnosed with adult onset (22-65 years) cancers in Los Angeles from 1998 to 2008.

Results showed patients receiving treatment at non-NCICCC facilities had lower overall survival than those who were treated at NCICCCs.

These differences were still present after adjusting for clinical and sociodemographic factors (hepatobiliary: HR, 1.5; 95% CI: 1.4,1.7; P<0.001; lung: HR, 1.4; 95% CI: 1.3, 1.6; P<0.001; pancreatic: HR, 1.5; 95% CI: 1.3, 1.7; P<0.001; gastric: HR, 1.3; 95% CI: 1.1, 1.7; P =0.01; breast: HR, 1.3; 95% CI: 1.1, 1.5; P<0.001; and colorectal: HR, 1.2; 95% CI: 1.0, 1.4; P =0.05).

Barriers to care at NCICCCs included race/ethnicity (African-American: OR range across diagnoses: 0.4-0.7; P<0.03; Hispanic: OR range, 0.5-0.7; P<0.04); lack of private insurance (public: OR range, 0.6-0.8; P<0.004; uninsured: OR range, 0.1-0.5; P<0.04); socioeconomic status (high-middle: OR range, 0.4-0.7; P<0.02; middle: OR range, 0.3-0.5; P<0.001; and low: OR range, 0.2-0.6; P<0.01), and residing greater than nine miles from the nearest NCICCC (OR range, 0.5-0.7; P<0.02).