Premium
Effect of surgeon specialization on long‐term survival following colon cancer resection at an NCI‐designated cancer center
Author(s) -
Barbas Andrew S.,
Turley Ryan S.,
Mantyh Christopher R.,
Migaly John
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
journal of surgical oncology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.201
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1096-9098
pISSN - 0022-4790
DOI - 10.1002/jso.22154
Subject(s) - medicine , colorectal cancer , multivariate analysis , specialty , cancer , colectomy , retrospective cohort study , surgery , oncology , general surgery , family medicine
Background Recent studies have documented improved outcomes for patients undergoing colorectal cancer resection at NCI cancer centers compared to hospitals without this designation. Proposed contributory factors include a higher proportion of surgeons with specialty training in colorectal surgery and surgical oncology. The purpose of this study was to assess whether surgeon specialization is associated with differences in overall survival following colon cancer resection at an NCI cancer center. Methods We conducted a retrospective review of patients undergoing colectomy for colon cancer from 1994 to 2009 at Duke University Medical Center. Patients were divided into two groups based on specialization status of the attending surgeon, and several clinicopathologic variables were compared. A multivariate analysis was then performed examining variables influencing overall survival. Results Total of 395 patients were included in the study, with 335 patients operated on by specialty‐trained surgeons and 60 patients operated on by non‐specialists. Overall, the two groups were similar with respect to demographic and pathologic variables. On multivariate analysis, surgeon specialization was found to be an independent predictor of improved overall survival [HR 0.43 (CI: 0.25–0.75), P = 0.003]. Conclusion Surgeon specialization appears to be associated with improved overall survival in the setting of an NCI‐designated cancer center. J. Surg. Oncol. 2012; 106:219–223. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.