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August 2, 2008Disparities in prostate cancer treatment suggest ways to improve care |
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From EurekAlert! - Breaking News: NEW YORK (Aug. 1, 2008) -- Quality of care varies greatly for the treatment of men with early-stage prostate cancer by region of the country and category of health care facility, suggesting the potential for improved patient outcomes with more standard treatment protocols, according to a new study that was published in the Aug. 1 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology (2008: Vol. 26, Issue 22). Dr. Spencer is a urologic oncologist at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center and an assistant professor of urology at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. There were differences in care from community hospitals to cancer centers to teaching hospitals. There were also disparities in care from one region of the country to another. But there were no racial disparities, suggesting equity in care once a patient initiates treatment," says Dr. Spencer. Improving the quality of care throughout the health care system could greatly improve quality-of-life issues for men treated for the disease. Compliance with structural measures, such as having more than one board-certified urologist and board-certified radiation oncologist on staff, was high at near or greater than 90 percent. Comprehensive cancer centers and teaching/research hospitals had higher compliance rates than community cancer centers across the board on nearly all compliance measures. High-quality care is possible, as evidenced by the near or greater than 80 percent compliance with pre-therapy disease severity assessment and counseling indicators. Columbia University Medical Center is home to the largest medical research enterprise in New York City and state and one of the largest in the United States. One of the largest and most comprehensive health-care institutions in the world, the Hospital is committed to excellence in patient care, research, education and community service.
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