Quality of care for older Texas patients with colon cancer on the rise, still room for improvement

Quality of care for older Texas patients with colon cancer on the rise, still room for improvement

By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Weekly News -- HOUSTON -- Research from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center finds adherence to surgical treatment guidelines has improved significantly among older Texas patients with colon cancer since 2001, while adherence to chemotherapy guidelines has remained largely unchanged. The study, published in Cancer, identifies factors influencing adherence rates, including socioeconomic status and access to skilled physicians.

The researchers also report significant survival benefits associated with adherence to treatment recommendations, highlighting the importance of informed discussions between patient and provider as well as the need to address barriers to care for certain populations.

“It’s been shown that patients with colon cancer have better survival outcomes when receiving guideline-recommended treatment,” said lead author Hui Zhao, Ph.D., assistant professor of Health Services Research. “Therefore it was important for us to characterize adherence-to-treatment guidelines to monitor the quality of care in Texas. Interestingly, we found surgical adherence has improved quite a lot since 2001, but for chemotherapy, the line is almost flat.”

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) recommends patients with Stage II colon cancer receive a colectomy and removal of at least 12 …

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(2017-12-01), Quality of care for older Texas patients with colon cancer on the rise, still room for improvement, Insurance Weekly News, 117, ISSN: 1944-2297, BUTTER® ID: 014778433