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Improving outcomes in veterans with oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma through implementation of a
Tyler Light1, Edward El Rassi1, Ronald J Maggiore2
1Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Oregon Health & Science University and VA Portland Health Care System, Portland, Oregon.
Background:
Treatment of head and neck cancer is complex, and a multidisciplinary clinic may improve the coordination of care. The value of a head and neck multidisciplinary clinic has not yet been established in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).
Methods:
A retrospective review was conducted of Veterans Affairs patients with oropharyngeal SCC undergoing concurrent chemoradiation before and after implementation of the head and neck multidisciplinary clinic.
Results:
Fifty-two patients before and 54 patients after multidisciplinary clinic were included in this study. Age, tobacco use, and p16+ status were similar between groups. With multidisciplinary clinic, time to treatment decreased, and utilization of supportive services, including speech pathology, dentistry, and nutrition increased. The 5-year disease-specific survival rate increased from 63% to 81% (p = .043) after implementation of the multidisciplinary clinic. Multivariate analysis showed that disease stage (p = .016), p16 status (p = .006), and multidisciplinary clinic participation (p = .042) were predictors of disease-specific survival.
Conclusion:
Implementation of a multidisciplinary clinic improved care coordination and disease-specific survival in patients with oropharyngeal SCC. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 39: 1106-1112, 2017.