Influence of travel burden on tumor classification and survival of head and neck cancer patients.
Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol
; 278(11): 4535-4543, 2021 Nov.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-33877433
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE:
Cancer patients have to overcome various barriers to obtain diagnostics and treatment at head and neck cancer centers. Travel distance to a specialized hospital may result in psychosocial and financial distress, thus interfering with diagnostics, treatment, and follow-up care. In this study, we have aimed to analyze the association of travel distance with cTNM status, UICC stage at primary diagnosis, and survival outcomes of head and neck cancer (HNC) patients.METHODS:
We have analyzed data of 1921 consecutive HNC patients diagnosed between 2014 and 2019 at the head and neck cancer center of the Comprehensive Cancer Center Ulm (CCCU), Germany. Postal code-based travel distance calculation in kilometers, TNM status, and UICC stage were recorded at initial diagnosis. The assembly of travel distance-related groups (short, intermediate, long-distance) has been investigated. Moreover, group-related survival and recurrence analysis have been performed.RESULTS:
In contrast to observations from overseas, no association of travel distance and higher cTNM status or UICC stage at primary diagnosis has been observed. Furthermore, no significant differences for recurrence-free survival and overall survival by travel distance were detected.CONCLUSION:
In southern Germany, travel distance to head and neck cancer centers seems to be tolerable. Travel burden is not synonymous with travel distance alone but also involves sociodemographic, monetary, and disease-specific aspects as well as accessibility to proper infrastructure of transport and health care system.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Contexto em Saúde:
11_ODS3_cobertura_universal
/
2_ODS3
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Neoplasias de Cabeça e Pescoço
/
Recidiva Local de Neoplasia
Limite:
Humans
País/Região como assunto:
Europa
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol
Ano de publicação:
2021
Tipo de documento:
Article