Quality measurement in cancer care delivery.

During the past decade, increasing emphasis has been placed on defining and measuring the quality of health care delivery. The Outcomes Committee of the Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO) was established in 2008 to explore and promote emerging outcomes-related topics that are most relevant to society membership. In recognition of the importance of health care quality, a mini-symposium was held at the SSO's 63rd Annual Cancer Symposium in St.

Getting to better cancer care: results of a society of surgical oncology survey.

Introduction: The Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO) created a task force to address the issue of surgical outcomes as it pertains to clinical practice. A survey of its members was conducted to determine which domains of "outcomes" are important and relevant to surgical oncologists.

Methods: Participation of 1,929 SSO members was solicited via e-mail; 1,881 messages were successfully delivered.

Risk factors for nodal recurrence after lymphadenectomy for melanoma.

Background: The risk and outcome of regional failure after elective and therapeutic lymph node dissection (ELND/TLND) for microscopically and macroscopically involved lymph nodes without adjuvant radiotherapy were evaluated.

Methods: Retrospective melanoma database review of 338 patients (ELND 85, TLND 253) from 1970 to 1996 with pathologically involved lymph nodes.

Results: Regional recurrence occurred in 14% of patients treated with ELND (n = 12) and 28% of patients treated with TLND (n = 72; P = .

Nodal basin recurrence following lymph node dissection for melanoma: implications for adjuvant radiotherapy.

Purpose: To analyze patterns of failure in malignant melanoma patients with lymph node involvement who underwent complete lymph node dissection (LND) of the nodal basin. To determine prognostic factors predictive of local recurrence in the lymph node basin in order to select patients who may benefit from adjuvant radiotherapy.

Methods And Materials: A retrospective analysis of 338 patients undergoing complete LND for melanoma between 1970 and 1996 who had pathologically involved lymph nodes was performed.