Study shows ovarian cancer patients fare better at comprehensive cancer centers
A new study shows patients with ovarian cancer have better survival rates if they receive care at a National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN)
Ovarian tumor. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
A study of 144,449 patients from the National Cancer Data Base: A Project from The Society of Gynecologic Oncologists (SGO) Quality and Outcomes Committee, shows that following the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines offers a significant survival benefit for patients with ovarian cancer.
The objective of the committee’s study was to determine how following the NCCN guidelines affected quality of care and five-year survival rates in patients diagnosed with ovarian cancer
Findings were presented at the SGO 2011 Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancer, which showed that: only 50 percent of individuals treated for ovarian cancer are treated in conjunction with the NCCN guidelines; average survival is improved at high-volume centers (that treat more than 26 cases a year); and patients treated at a comprehensive cancer center have a significant survival advantage.
Washington University faculty serving on the SGO Quality and Outcomes Committee are senior author David Mutch, MD, and first author Matthew Powell, MD. Data were analyzed by the Washington University statistical team of J. Philip Miller, PhD, and Noor Al-Hammadi.
