Researchers have found that four quality measures (neoadjuvant multiagent chemotherapy, lobectomy or greater resection, sampling of at least 10 lymph nodes, and R0 resection) are associated with longer survival in patients with stage IIIA non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The findings were presented at the American Association for Thoracic Surgery annual meeting.
The researchers analyzed data from the National Cancer Data Base of 54,069 patients with stage IIIA NSCLC who had undergone surgical resection from 2006–2010. They found that the four quality measures were associated with longer survival, and the more quality measures a patient received, the better their overall survival. Those who received none of the measures survived a medial of 12.7 months; survival increased to 25 months for one measure, 31.4 months for two measures, 36.6 months for three measures, and 43.5 months for all four measures.
Only 12.8% of eligible patients received all four measures, the researchers reported. Only 30% of patients received neoadjuvant multiagent chemotherapy, and 40% of patients had sampling of at least 10 lymph nodes. Eighty-four percent received a lobectomy or greater resection, and 87% had negative surgical margins.
Patients who had private insurance or Medicare, completed a higher amount of education, or received care at an academic cancer center or high-volume surgical center were more likely to receive all four quality measures.