Abstract
BackgroundStudies of fragmented care (FC) in rectal cancer have not adjusted for indicators of hospital quality and may misrepresent the effects of FC. MethodsWe queried the National Cancer Database to identify patients undergoing care for clinical stage II and III rectal adenocarcinoma between 2006 and 2019. Those undergoing FC were sub-categorized based on whether (FC CoC) or not (FC non-CoC) they received systemic therapy at CoC accredited facilities. Results44,339 patients met inclusion criteria; 23,921 (54 %) underwent FC, 16,929 (71 %) FC non-CoC. Differences in utilization of neoadjuvant therapy (92.3 % vs 89.7 % vs 89.5 %, p < 0.01) and 5-year overall survival (76.1 vs 75.5 vs 74.1 %, p < 0.01) between treatment cohorts were marginal. ConclusionIn patients undergoing multimodality therapy for rectal cancer, care fragmentation is not associated with long-term clinical outcome. Decisions regarding where these patients go for systemic therapy may be safely made on the basis of ease of access.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: 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.
