Impact of facility volume on outcomes in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the anal canal: Analysis of the National Cancer Data Base

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Given the rarity of anal cancer and the technical aspects involved in radiation (RT) planning, the authors conducted a population-based analysis evaluating the impact of radiation oncology facility volume on overall survival (OS) in patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the anal canal. METHODS: The National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) was queried for patients with SCC of the anal canal who underwent RT. All patients were coded as having received their entire course of RT at the NCDB reporting facility. Facility volume was categorized into tertiles (low, intermediate, and high) and was based on the number of times a facility's unique identification code appeared. RESULTS: In total, 13,550 patients were identified. Patients who received treatment at higher volume radiation oncology facilities had longer OS based on multivariate analysis (MVA) (hazard ratio, 0.81; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.73-0.90; P 45 days (odds ratio, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.69-0.80; P