Background: Quality of oncologic outcomes is of paramount importance in the care of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We sought to evaluate the relationship of hospital volume for lobectomy on cancer-specific survival in NSCLC patients treated in California, as well as the influence of Commission on Cancer (CoC) accreditation.
Methods: The California Cancer Registry was queried from 2004 to 2011 for cases of Stage I NSCLC and 8,345 patients were identified. Statistical analysis was used to determine prognostic factors for cancer-specific survival.
Results: A total of 7,587 patients were treated surgically. CoC accreditation was not significant for cancer-specific survival, but treatment in high-volume centers was associated with longer survival when compared with low- and medium-volume centers (hazard ratio 1.77, 1.474 to 2.141 and hazard ratio 1.23, 1.058 to 1.438).
Conclusion: These data suggest that surgical treatment in high-volume hospitals is associated with longer cancer-specific survival for early-stage NSCLC, but that CoC accreditation is not.
Keywords: Cancer-specific survival; Commission on cancer accreditation; Lobectomy; Non–small cell lung cancer; Sublobar resection; Thoracic surgery.
Published by Elsevier Inc.