Impact of Sociodemographic Characteristics on the Quality of Care in the Surgical Management of Endometrial Cancer: An Analysis of a National Database in the United States

Abstract

Introduction: Quality of care is an emerging concern, notably in oncology. The aim of the present study was to identify the sociodemographic factors influencing the quality of care in the USA concerning the surgical management of endometrial cancer (EC) through the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database using already published Belgian quality indicators (QI). Methods: Using the SEER database 1988–2013, we identified 151,752 patients treated for EC. Six QI were extracted from a Belgian study on quality of care in EC because of their applicability to the SEER. These QI evaluated only the surgical management. We examined the association between sociodemographic characteristics and quality of care with a logistic regression model. We compared our results with those defined as theoretical target by the Belgian initiative and considered a QI to be accurately met if >80% of the population met the indicator, moderately met between 50 and 80%, and poorly met under 50%. Results: Concerning the 6 surgical QIs, one was accurately met, 3 were moderately met, and 2 were poorly met. For example, 73% of the patients with a high-risk EC underwent a pelvic lymphadenectomy. Age over 75 years old, black ethnicity, lower-income group, without partner, and uninsured had a negative impact on adherence to QIs. Conclusion: Demographic discrepancies persist in the surgical management of EC, impacting evidence-based care.