Compliance with Cancer Quality Measures Over Time and Their Association with Survival Outcomes: The Commission on Cancer's Experience with the Quality Measure Requiring at Least 12 Regional Lymph Nodes to be Removed and Analyzed with Colon Cancer Resections.

BACKGROUND: Many quality measures in cancer care are process measures. The rates of compliance for these measures over time have not been well described, and the relationships between measure compliance and survival are not well understood. METHODS: The National Cancer Database, representing cancer registry data from approximately 1500 Commission on Cancer (CoC) cancer programs, was queried to determine the rates of compliance, with the CoC's colon cancer quality measure requiring 12 regional lymph nodes be removed at resection. Data were assessed in 2003, before the measure was reported to programs, through 2015. Measure compliance and risk-adjusted survival were examined by hospital type. RESULTS: From 2003 to 2015, 544,018 cases of colon cancer were analyzed for number of nodes removed. In 2003, compliance was 52.8% and National Cancer Institute (NCI) centers had the highest compliance rate (69.0%), followed by academic cancer centers (61.9%), comprehensive community hospitals (50.9%), and community hospitals (44.0%). Between 2003 and 2015, compliance improved for all hospital types, although differences remained. Risk-adjusted survival in 2009 was better at NCI centers [hazard ratio (HR) 0.76] than at academic cancer centers (HR 0.90), which had better survivals than comprehensive community programs (HR 0.93) when compared with patients treated at community hospitals. CONCLUSION: After introduction of this quality measure, performance at CoC-accredited hospitals improved over the subsequent 13 years, and survival by hospital type paralleled measure compliance by hospital type. This demonstrated measurement may be associated with improvements in performance, and that there are differences in performance and outcome by hospital type.

Incident Cases Captured in the National Cancer Database Compared with Those in U.S. Population Based Central Cancer Registries in 2012-2014.

BACKGROUND: The National Cancer Database (NCDB) is a hospital-based cancer registry that includes diagnostic, staging, treatment, and outcomes data for newly diagnosed cancer patients in the United States. The NCDB data include 31 million records for patients diagnosed between 1985-2015. A Participant User File based on a subset of these data has been available to researchers at facilities accredited by the Commission on Cancer since 2010. This study aimed to compare the number of incident cancer cases in the NCDB with a national population cancer registry. METHODS: Incident cancer cases in the NCDB in 2012-2014 were compared with the number of cancer cases in the United States Cancer Statistics data for the 2012-2014 diagnosis years. Comparisons were made by primary site and other factors. RESULTS: In 2012-2014, the NCDB captured 72% of the cancer cases in the United States, which was slightly higher than the 67% and 69% reported respectively in two prior assessments. Among the top 10 major cancer sites, the highest coverage (80%) was found for breast cancer, and the lowest was found for melanoma of the skin (52%) and prostate (58%). Colon, bladder, and kidney and renal pelvis cancers had relatively high coverage of 71%, 70% and 78%, respectively, whereas lung and bronchus had slightly lower coverage (65%). CONCLUSIONS: The NCDB coverage of U.S. cancer cases has remained relatively high (72%), but differences remain by cancer site and other factors that should be taken into account by users of the NCDB data.

Trends in Regionalization of Care and Mortality For Patients Treated With Radical Cystectomy.

BACKGROUND: Regionalization to higher volume centers has been proposed as a mechanism to improve short-term outcomes following complex surgery. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess trends in regionalization and mortality for patients undergoing radical cystectomy (RC). RESEARCH DESIGN: An observational study of patients receiving RC in the United States from 2004 to 2013. SUBJECTS: Data for patients receiving RC were extracted from the National Cancer Database. MEASURES: The primary exposure was hospital volume; low-volume hospitals (LVH) included those with <5 RC/year and high-volume hospitals (HVH) were those with ≥30 RC/year. Trends in the volume were assessed, as were 30- and 90-day mortality. Cochrane-Armitage tests were performed for volume, and propensity score-weighted proportional hazard regression was used to assess mortality. RESULTS: A total of 47,028 RC were performed in 1162 hospitals from 2004 to 2013. The proportion of RC at LVH declined from 29% to 17% (P<0.01), whereas that of HVH increased from 16% to 33% (P<0.01). Unadjusted 30- (P=0.02) and 90-day (P<0.001) mortality decreased, and the absolute decrease was greatest at LVH (4.8% vs. 2.6%, P=0.03), whereas rates for HVH remained stable (1.9% vs. 1.4%, P=0.34). Following risk-adjustment, relative to treatment at HVH, treatment at LVH was associated with increased 30-day (hazard ratio: 1.66, 95% CI: 1.53-1.80) and 90-day mortality (hazard ratio: 1.37, 95% confidence interval: 1.30-1.44). CONCLUSIONS: Regionalization of RC to HVH was observed from 2004 to 2013. Treatment at LVH was associated with 66% and 33% relative increases in hazard of death at 30 and 90 days, respectively. These findings support the selective referral of complex cases to higher volume centers.

Prognostic importance of lymphovascular invasion in urothelial carcinoma of the renal pelvis.

BACKGROUND: The current study was conducted to assess the impact of lymphovascular invasion on the survival of patients with urothelial carcinoma of the renal pelvis. METHODS: Patients with urothelial carcinoma of the renal pelvis who underwent radical nephroureterectomy from 2010 through 2015 were identified in the National Cancer Data Base. Patients were characterized according to demographic and clinical factors, including pathologic tumor stage and lymphovascular invasion. Associations with overall survival were assessed through proportional hazards regression analysis. RESULTS: A total of 4177 patients were identified; 1576 had lymphovascular invasion. Patients with T3 disease and lymphovascular invasion had 5-year survival that was significantly worse than that of patients with T3 disease without lymphovascular invasion (34.7% vs 52.6; P < .001 by the log-rank test), and approached that of patients with T4 disease without lymphovascular invasion (34.7% vs 26.5%; P = .002). On multivariate analysis controlling for age, comorbidities, grade, lymph node status, surgical margin status, race, sex, and chemotherapy administration, patients with T3 disease and lymphovascular invasion also were found to have significantly worse survival compared with patients with T3 disease without lymphovascular invasion (hazard ratio, 1.7; 95% confidence interval, 1.4-1.91). CONCLUSIONS: Lymphovascular invasion status is a key prognostic marker that can stratify the risk of patients with pT3 upper tract urothelial carcinoma further. Patients with this pathologic feature should be carefully considered for clinical trials exploring existing and novel therapies. Cancer 2018;124:2507-14. © 2018 American Cancer Society.

Recent Changes in Prostate Cancer Screening Practices and Epidemiology.

PURPOSE: Prostate specific antigen based screening for prostate cancer has had a significant impact on the epidemiology of the disease. Its use has been associated with a significant decrease in prostate cancer mortality but has also resulted in the over diagnosis and overtreatment of indolent prostate cancer, exposing many men to the harms of treatment without benefit. The USPSTF (U.S. Preventive Services Task Force) in 2008 issued a recommendation against screening men older than 75 years, and in 2012 against routine screening for all men, indicating that in its interpretation the harms of screening outweigh the benefits. We review changes in the use of prostate specific antigen testing, performance of prostate biopsy, incidence of prostate cancer and stage of disease at presentation since 2012. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An English language literature search was performed for terms that included "prostate specific antigen," "screening" and "United States Preventive Services Task Force" in various combinations. A total of 26 original studies had been published on the effects of the USPSTF recommendations on prostate specific antigen based screening or prostate cancer incidence in the United States as of December 1, 2016. RESULTS: Review of the literature from 2012 through the end of 2016 indicates that there has been a decrease in prostate specific antigen testing and prostate biopsy. As a result, there has been a decline in the incidence of localized prostate cancer, including low, intermediate and high risk disease. The data regarding stage at presentation have yet to mature but there are some early signs of a shift toward higher burden of disease at presentation. CONCLUSIONS: These findings raise concern about a reversal of the observed improvement in prostate cancer specific mortality during preceding decades. Alternative screening strategies would 1) incorporate patient preferences by allowing shared decision-making, 2) preserve the survival benefits associated with screening, 3) improve the specificity of screening to reduce unnecessary biopsies and detection of low risk disease, and 4) promote the use of active surveillance for low risk cancers if they are detected.

Assessing the relative influence of hospital and surgeon volume on short-term mortality after radical cystectomy.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the relationship between surgeon (SV) and hospital volume (HV) on mortality after radical cystectomy (RC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: We queried the National Cancer Database (NCDB) for adult patients undergoing RC between 2010 and 2013. We calculated average volume for each surgeon and hospital. Using propensity-scored weights for combined volume groups with a proportional hazards regression model, we compared the associations between HV and SV with 90-day survival after RC. RESULTS: A total of 19 346 RCs were performed at 927 hospitals by 2 927 surgeons in the period 2010-2013. The median (interquartile range) HV and SV were 12.3 (5.0-35.5) and 4.3 (1.3-12.3) cases, respectively. For HV, 90-day unadjusted mortality was 8.5% in centres with <5 cases/year (95% confidence interval [CI] 7.7-9.3) and 5.6% in those with >30 cases/year (95% CI 5.0-6.2). For SV, 90-day mortality was 8.1% for surgeons with <5 cases/year (95% CI 7.6-8.6) and 4.0% for those with >30 cases/year (95% CI 2.8-5.2; all P < 0.05). The 30-day mortality rate was lowest for the combined HV-SV groups with HV >30, ranging from 1.6% to 2.1%. CONCLUSIONS: In hospitals reporting to the NCDB, volume was associated with improved mortality after RC. These associations appear to be driven by hospital- rather than surgeon-level effects. An elevated SV had a beneficial effect on mortality at the highest-volume hospitals. These findings inform efforts to regionalize complex surgical care and improve quality at community and safety net hospitals.

Effect of the USPSTF Grade D Recommendation against Screening for Prostate Cancer on Incident Prostate Cancer Diagnoses in the United States.

PURPOSE: In October 2011 the USPSTF (U.S. Preventive Services Task Force) issued a draft guideline discouraging prostate specific antigen based screening for prostate cancer (grade D recommendation). We evaluated the effect of the USPSTF guideline on the number and distribution of new prostate cancer diagnoses in the United States. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We identified incident cancers diagnosed between January 2010 and December 2012 in NCDB (National Cancer Database). We performed an interrupted time series to evaluate the trend of new prostate cancers diagnosed each month before and after the draft guideline with colon cancer as a comparator. RESULTS: Incident monthly prostate cancer diagnoses decreased by -1,363 cases (12.2%, p<0.01) in the month after the USPSTF draft guideline and continued to decrease by 164 cases per month relative to baseline (-1.8%, p<0.01). In contrast monthly colon cancer diagnoses remained stable. Diagnoses of low, intermediate and high risk prostate cancers decreased significantly but new diagnoses of nonlocalized disease did not change. Subgroups of age, comorbidity, race, income and insurance showed comparable decreases in incident prostate cancer following the draft guideline. CONCLUSIONS: There was a 28% decrease in incident diagnoses of prostate cancer in the year after the USPSTF draft recommendation against prostate specific antigen screening. This study helps quantify the potential benefits (reduced harms of over diagnosis and overtreatment of low risk disease and disease found in elderly men) and potential harms (missed opportunities to diagnose important cancers in men who may benefit from treatment) of this guideline.

The 90-day mortality after pancreatectomy for cancer is double the 30-day mortality: more than 20,000 resections from the national cancer data base.

BACKGROUND: Operative mortality traditionally has been defined as the rate within 30 days or during the initial hospitalization, and studies that established the volume-outcome relationship for pancreatectomy used similar definitions. METHODS: Pancreatectomies reported to the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) during 2007-2010 were examined for 30- and 90-day mortality. Unadjusted mortality rates were compared by type of resection, stage, comorbidities, and average annual hospital volume. Hierarchical logistic regression models generated risk-adjusted odds ratios for 30- and 90-day mortality. RESULTS: After 21,482 pancreatectomies, the unadjusted 30-day mortality rate was 3.7 % (95 % confidence interval [CI] 3.4-3.9 %), which doubled at 90 days to 7.4 % (95 % CI 7.0-7.8). The unadjusted and risk-adjusted mortality rates were higher at 30 days with increasing age, increasing stage, male gender, lower income, low hospital volume, resections other than distal pancreatectomy, Medicare or Medicaid insurance coverage, residence in a Southern census division, history of prior cancer, and multiple comorbidities. The lowest-volume hospitals (<5 per year) performed 19 % of the pancreatectomies, with a risk-adjusted odds ratios for mortality that were 4.2 times higher (95 % CI 3.1-5.8) at 30 days and remained 1.9 times higher (95 % CI 1.5-2.3) at 30-90 days compared with hospitals that had high volumes (≥40 per year). CONCLUSION: Mortality rates within 90 days after pancreatic resection are double those at 30 days. The volume-outcome relationship persists in the NCDB. Reporting mortality rates 90 days after pancreatectomy is important. Hospitals should be aware of their annual volume and mortality rates 30 and 90 days after pancreatectomy and should benchmark the use of high-volume hospitals.

Association of hospital volume with conditional 90-day mortality after cystectomy: an analysis of the National Cancer Data Base.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association of hospital volume and 90-day mortality after cystectomy, conditional on survival for 30 days. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The National Cancer Data Base was used to evaluate 30- and 90-day mortality for 35,055 patients who underwent cystectomy for bladder cancer at one of 1118 hospitals. Patient data were aggregated into hospital volume categories based on the mean annual number of procedures (low-volume hospital: <10 procedures; intermediate-volume hospital: 10-19 procedures; high-volume hospital: ≥20 procedures). Associations between mortality and clinical, demographic and hospital characteristics were analysed using hierarchical logistic regression models. To assess the association between hospital volume and 90-day mortality independently of shorter-term mortality, 90-day mortality conditional on 30-day survival was assessed in the multivariate modelling. RESULTS: Unadjusted 30- and 90-day mortality rates were 2.7 and 7.2% overall, 1.9 and 5.7% among high-volume hospitals, and 3.2 and 8.0% among low-volume hospitals, respectively. Compared with high-volume hospitals, the adjusted risks among low-volume hospitals (odds ratio [95% CI]) of 30- and 90-day mortality, conditional on having survived for 30 days, from the hierarchical models were 1.5 (1.3-1.9), and 1.2 (1.0-1.4), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: A low hospital volume was associated with greater 30- and 90-day mortality. These data support the need for further research to better understand the relatively high mortality rates seen between 30 and 90 days, which are high and less variable across hospital volume strata. The stronger association between volume and 30-day mortality suggests that quality-reporting efforts should focus on shorter-term outcomes.

Association of tumor size with metastatic potential and survival in patients with adrenocortical carcinoma: an analysis of the National Cancer Database.

INTRODUCTION: To assess the impact of size at presentation in patients with adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) on rates of synchronous metastatic disease and survival following resection using a large administrative dataset. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We queried the National Cancer Database (NCDB) dataset to assemble a cohort of patients with ACC based on SEER staging (1985-2000). Patients were stratified into three groups based on surgical tumor size cutoffs: < 4 cm, 4 cm-6 cm, and > 6 cm. Rates of metastatic disease at presentation in all ACC patients as well as relative survival for patients after resection of localized lesions were calculated and compared among groups. RESULTS: A total of 2248 patients had available staging information for analysis. Tumor size at presentation did not relate to likelihood of non-localized disease at presentation (p = 0.09). A restricted cubic splines analysis revealed a clinically insignificant relationship between tumor size and advanced disease at presentation (OR = 1.02 for each centimeter change in tumor size, p = 0.004, 95% CI 1.01-1.03). On multivariate analysis, only patient age (p < 0.01), and not tumor size, was a significant predictor of overall survival among patients undergoing resection of localized ACCs. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that tumor size is imperfect in predicting presence of distant disease at presentation, nor does it consistently correlate with patient survival after resection of localized ACC.

Treatment trends for stage I renal cell carcinoma.

PURPOSE: Renal cell carcinoma is increasingly diagnosed at stage I, and among stage I cases mean tumor size has been decreasing. Previous reports suggest that nephron sparing surgery is underused for small renal cell carcinomas. We determined updated, population based treatment trends for stage I renal cell carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The National Cancer Data Base, which captures approximately 70% of all cancer diagnoses in the United States, was queried for renal cell carcinoma in adults diagnosed between 1993 and 2007. Trends in treatment, including no surgery, total nephrectomy, partial nephrectomy and focal ablation, were analyzed among all stage I tumors and small stage I tumors categorized by size. Logistic regression was used to identify predictors of nephron sparing surgery (partial nephrectomy or focal ablation). RESULTS: During the study period we identified 242,740 renal cell carcinomas, of which 127,691 were stage I. For all stage I tumors partial nephrectomy increased from 6.3% to 32.2% of cases and ablation increased from 1.0% to 6.8%. For tumors less than 2.0, 2.0 to 2.9 and 3.0 to 3.9 cm partial nephrectomy increased from 15.3% to 61.1%, 11.0% to 44.2% and 7.2% to 31.1%, respectively (each p<0.001). Female gender, black race, Hispanic ethnicity, lower income, older age and treatment at community hospitals were associated with lower use of nephron sparing. CONCLUSIONS: While total nephrectomy is still likely overused for small renal cell carcinoma, nephron sparing surgery for stage I renal cell carcinoma has increased substantially in the last 15 years with about 4-fold increases across tumor sizes. These trends appear to be ongoing but sociodemographic disparities exist which must be rectified.

Effects of increased cross-sectional imaging on the diagnosis and prognosis of adrenocortical carcinoma: analysis of the National Cancer Database.

PURPOSE: We assessed whether incidental screening due to imaging performed for other purposes has resulted in earlier detection or better outcomes in patients with adrenocortical carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We used the National Cancer Database to assemble a cohort diagnosed with adrenocortical carcinoma from 1985 to 2007. Trends in the distribution of grouped tumor sizes were assessed with the Cochran-Armitage chi-square test. Relative 5-year survival rates were calculated for cases diagnosed through 2002. RESULTS: Median survival in the full cohort of 4,275 patients was 24 months. Localized adrenocortical carcinoma accounted for 43.9% of cases. No stage migration was noted with time. No statistical trends were noted in tumor size changes during the years in patients who underwent surgery for localized disease (p=0.32). No improvement was observed in 5-year survival during the period (p>0.1). CONCLUSIONS: In this cohort of patients with adrenocortical carcinoma, which is to our knowledge the largest cohort reported to date, 43.9% presented with localized disease. No shift was noted toward lower stage or smaller tumor size in a 22-year period despite the advent of abdominal imaging and its resulting incidental screening of the adrenal gland. These data contrast with the well documented stage and size migration of tumors of the kidney, a neighboring retroperitoneal organ. Furthermore, no improvement in survival was noted. As such, better risk stratification of patients with adrenal incidentaloma, while improving treatment efficacy for those with proven adrenocortical carcinoma, is an essential clinical and epidemiological task.

Transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder: racial and gender disparities in survival (1993 to 2002), stage and grade (1993 to 2007).

PURPOSE: Bladder cancer survival is consistently lower in female and black patients than in male and white patients. We compared trends and differences according to clinical, demographic and facility characteristics by patient race and gender to identify the impact of these characteristics on survival. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We identified bladder transitional cell carcinoma cases diagnosed in 1993 to 2007 from the National Cancer Data Base. Trends in grade and stage distribution between 1993 and 2007 were analyzed. Survival differences by race and gender were compared using 5-year relative survival and multivariate Cox regression. RESULTS: There were 310,257 white male, 102,345 white female, 13,313 black male and 7,439 black female patients. Black and female patients had a higher proportion of muscle invasive tumors than white and male patients, and black patients had a larger proportion of higher grade tumors. The incidence of stage 0a and of high grade tumors significantly increased with time. Multivariate analysis showed a significantly lower HR in white females than in white males (HR 0.9) but a significantly higher HR in black males and females (HR 1.2). The higher mortality risk in black males and females was primarily limited to late stage disease (HR 1.3). CONCLUSIONS: Survival differences by race and gender are partially explained by differences in tumor and demographic characteristics in black males and females, and fully explained by these characteristics in white females. Treatment delays and under treatment due to comorbid conditions, age and other factors may also contribute to these disparities.

Survival After Cancer Treatment at Top-Ranked US Cancer Hospitals vs Affiliates of Top-Ranked Cancer Hospitals.

Importance: Hospital networks formed around top-ranked cancer hospitals represent an opportunity to optimize complex cancer care in the community. Objective: To compare the short- and long-term survival after complex cancer treatment at top-ranked cancer hospitals and the affiliates of top-ranked hospitals. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study was conducted using data from the unabridged version of the National Cancer Database. Included patients were individuals 18 years or older who underwent surgical treatment for esophageal, gastric, lung, pancreatic, colorectal, or bladder cancer diagnosed between January 1, 2012, and December 31, 2016. Patient outcomes after complex surgical procedures for cancer at top-ranked cancer hospitals (as ranked in top 50 by US News and World Report) were compared with outcomes at affiliates of top-ranked cancer hospitals (affiliation listed in American Hospitals Association survey and confirmed by search of internet presence). Data were analyzed from July through December 2019. Exposures: Undergoing complex cancer treatment at a top-ranked cancer hospital or an affiliated hospital. Main Outcomes and Measures: The association of affiliate status with short-term survival (ie, 90-day mortality) was compared using logistic regression, and the association of affiliate status with long-term survival was compared using time-to-event models, adjusting for patient demographic, payer, clinical, and treatment factors. Results: Among 119 834 patients who underwent surgical treatment for cancer, 79 981 patients (66.7%) were treated at top-ranked cancer hospitals (median [interquartile range] age, 66 [58-74] years; 40 910 [54.9%] men) and 39 853 patients (33.3%) were treated at affiliate hospitals (median [interquartile range] age, 69 [60-77] years; 19 004 [50.0%] men). In a pooled analysis of all cancer types, adjusted perioperative mortality within 90 days of surgical treatment was higher at affiliate hospitals compared with top-ranked hospitals (odds ratio, 1.67 [95% CI, 1.49-1.89]; P < .001). Adjusted long-term survival following cancer treatment at affiliate hospitals was only 77% that of top-ranked hospitals (time ratio, 0.77 [95% CI, 0.72-0.83]; P < .001). The survival advantage was not fully explained by differences in annual surgical volume, with both long- and short-term survival remaining superior at top-ranked hospitals even after models were adjusted for volume. Conclusions and Relevance: These findings suggest that short- and long-term survival after complex cancer treatment were superior at top-ranked hospitals compared with affiliates of top-ranked hospitals. Further study of cancer care within top-ranked cancer networks could reveal collaborative opportunities to improve survival across a broad contingent of the US population.

Renal cell carcinoma: assessment of key pathologic prognostic parameters and patient characteristics in 47,909 cases using the National Cancer Data Base.

On the basis of the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB), we describe the disease characteristics and use of conventional prognostic parameters in a hospital-based cohort of pathologically confirmed renal cell carcinomas (RCCs). Between 1993 and 1998, the NCDB obtained 149 424 cases of kidney (and renal pelvis) cancers from registries all over the United States. This database was queried for 47 909 histologically specified RCCs. Survival outcome was analyzed based on conventional clinical and pathologic parameters reported to the database (up to 2003). Renal cell carcinoma was more common in men (male-female ratio = 1.6:1). The mean age was 62.6 years. Most (66.6%) were organ-confined (stage I/II) at the time of diagnosis. The mean tumor size was 6.49 cm. The 5-year observed survival of RCC was 62.9% for male and 68.1% for female and was 81.0% for younger than 40 years old and 64.2% for older than 40 years old. The 5-year observed survival of RCC patients by the fifth edition 1997 American Joint Committee on Cancer TNM staging were stages I, 77.8%; II, 72.8%; III, 55.0%; and IV, 16.9%, demonstrating a dramatic decline in patient survival at stage IV. By reported pathologic grade, significant stratification was achieved in the observed survival for RCC overall irrespective of histologic subtypes (grade 1, 77.8%; 2, 69.6%; 3, 48.8%; and 4, 35.3% 5-year observed survival). These large NCDB data in RCC confirm the importance of pathologic evaluation of traditional prognostic parameters of stage and grade in RCC and is a powerful resource in defining cancer patient characteristics and analysis of prognostic variables that helps influence future cancer care planning and resource allocation.

Sex differences in renal cell cancer presentation and survival: an analysis of the National Cancer Database, 1993-2004.

PURPOSE: We analyzed patterns of disease presentation and outcome of renal cell carcinomas by gender using data from the National Cancer Database during a 10-year period. We hypothesized that women presented with lower stage disease and had increased survival than men due to increased imaging. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The National Cancer Database is a nationwide oncology data set that currently captures approximately 75% of all newly diagnosed cancer cases from more than 1,400 facility based cancer registries in the United States annually since 1985. The National Cancer Database was queried for adults with renal cell carcinoma diagnosed between 1993 and 2004. Cases were examined according to gender in relation to mean age, American Joint Committee on Cancer stage, histology, grade, tumor size, mortality and race. RESULTS: We identified a total of 236,930 patients with renal cell carcinoma diagnosed between 1993 and 2004 from the National Cancer Database. A total of 89,243 (37.7%) were female and 147,687 (62.3%) were male. Mean age was greater in females (64.3) than in males (62.9) (p <0.001). Women had a higher percentage of stage I tumors (54.1% vs 48.5%, p <0.001). Progressive stage migration was documented in men and women. A trend toward increased survival was noted in women relative to men that did not reach statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: Results from this study show a ratio of 1.65 of renal cell carcinoma for males compared to females. Women are more likely than men to have stage I tumors. Both men and women have demonstrated stage migration, although women more so than men.