Re-examining the significance of surgical volume to breast cancer survival and recurrence versus process quality of care in Taiwan.
OBJECTIVE
This study explored the association of surgical volume versus process quality with breast cancer survival and recurrence.


METHODS
Population-based cancer registration data and National Health Insurance claim data.


METHODS
This population-based study linked Taiwan's Cancer Database with Taiwan's National Health Insurance Database to collect data on all patients diagnosed with breast cancer in 2003-2004 who received surgical treatment.


RESULTS
This study included 6,396 female breast cancer patients, reported by 26 hospitals. After controlling for patient and provider characteristics, Cox's regression models did not reveal any association between a physician's surgical volume and breast cancer recurrence or survival, although hospital volume was marginally associated with positive 5-year recurrence (HR: 1.001, 95%CI: 1.000, 1.001). After controlling for hospital or physician volume of surgery, we found a significant association between quality of care and both 5-year survival and recurrence. Random effects were also identified between patients and providers based on 5-year survival and 5-year recurrence.


CONCLUSIONS
Process quality of care was significantly more related to survival or recurrence than to surgical volume. The random effects found within hospital-patient clustered data indicated that the effect of the clustered feature of this data should be considered when performing volume-outcome related studies.
Center of Comparative Effectiveness Research, National Center of Excellence for Clinical Trial and Research, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
Raymond N
RN
Kuo
Kuo-Piao
KP
Chung
Mei-Shu
MS
Lai
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000601:surgery*; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006739:Hospital Administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012042:Registries / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology