Abstract
Patient comorbidities may affect the applicability of performance measures that are inherent in multidisciplinary cancer treatment guidelines. This article describes the distribution of common comorbid conditions by disease site and by patient and facility characteristics in patients who received radiation therapy as part of treatment for cancer of the breast, cervix, lung, prostate, and stomach, and investigates the association of comorbidities with treatment decisions. Stratified two-stage cluster sampling provided a random sample of radiation oncology facilities. Eligible patients were randomly sampled from each participating facility for each disease site, and data were abstracted from medical records. The Adult Comorbidity Evaluation Index (ACE-27) was used to measure comorbid conditions and their severity. National estimates were calculated using SUDAAN statistical software. Multivariable logistic regression models predicted the dependent variable "treatment changed or contraindicated due to comorbidities." The final model showed that ACE-27 was highly associated with change in treatment for patients with severe or moderate index values compared to those with none or mild (P < .001). Two other covariates, age and medical coverage, had no (age) or little (medical coverage) significant contribution to predicting treatment change in the multivariable model. Disease site was associated with treatment change after adjusting for other covariates in the model. ACE-27 is highly predictive of treatment modifications for patients treated for these cancers who receive radiation as part of their care. A standardized tool identifying patients who should be excluded from clinical performance measures allows more accurate use of these measures.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.