Observed-to-expected ratio for adherence to treatment guidelines as a quality of care indicator for ovarian cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To develop an observed-to-expected ratio (O/E) for adherence to National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) ovarian cancer treatment guidelines as a risk-adjusted hospital measure of quality care correlated with disease-specific survival. METHODS: Consecutive patients with stages I-IV epithelial ovarian cancer were identified from the California Cancer Registry (1/1/96-12/31/06). Using a fit logistic regression model, O/E for guideline adherence was calculated for each hospital and distributed into quartiles stratified by hospital annual case volume: lowest O/E quartile or annual hospital case volume <5, middle two O/E quartiles and volume ≥5, and highest O/E quartile and volume ≥5. A multivariable logistic regression model was used to characterize the independent effect of hospital O/E on ovarian cancer-specific survival. RESULTS: Overall, 18,491 patients were treated at 405 hospitals; 37.3% received guideline adherent care. Lowest O/E hospitals (n=285) treated 4661 patients (25.2%), mean O/E=0.77±0.55 and median survival 38.9months (95%CI=36.2-42.0months). Intermediate O/E hospitals (n=85) treated 8715 patients (47.1%), mean O/E=0.87±0.17 and median survival of 50.5months (95% CI=48.4-52.8months). Highest O/E hospitals (n=35) treated 5115 patients (27.7%), mean O/E=1.34±0.14 and median survival of 53.8months (95% CI=50.2-58.2months). After controlling for other variables, treatment at highest O/E hospitals was associated with independent and statistically significant improvement in ovarian cancer-specific survival compared to intermediate O/E (HR=1.06, 95% CI=1.01-1.11) and lowest O/E (1.16, 95% CI=1.10-1.23) hospitals. CONCLUSIONS: Calculation of hospital-specific O/E for NCCN treatment guideline adherence, combined with minimum case volume criterion, as a measure of ovarian cancer quality of care is feasible and is an independent predictor of survival.

A critical assessment of morcellation and its impact on gynecologic surgery and the limitations of the existing literature.

Uterine sarcomas are rare uterine malignancies that are difficult to diagnose preoperatively. Because of cases of disseminated sarcoma after laparoscopic hysterectomy, the role of power morcellators in gynecologic surgery has been questioned. Morcellation is an integral part of making laparoscopic surgery possible for the removal of large uterine leiomyomata, and the development of power morcellation has increased efficiency during these procedures. Minimally invasive surgery has demonstrated benefits that include improved pain control, decreased infection risk, and faster surgical recovery and return to work. In this review, we examine the risk of incidental sarcoma at the time of surgery, the quality of the data, the accuracy of clinical and radiologic predictors of uterine sarcoma, and the impact of morcellation on the prognosis of uterine sarcoma.