Variations in time to receiving first surgical treatment for breast cancer as a function of racial/ethnic background: a cohort study.

Objective: To evaluate surgical treatment delay disparities by race/ethnic group in a group of breast cancer patients treated in the New York region.

Design: Cohort study.

Setting: Two affiliated hospitals in the New York region.

Surgical outcomes following pancreatic resection at a low-volume community hospital: do all patients need to be sent to a regional cancer center?

Background: The only curative option for patients with pancreatic cancer is surgical resection. The potential for significant morbidity and mortality following these procedures along with short-term survival benefit has called into question the role of surgery in this disease. Several recent reports have shown that morbidity, mortality, and survival can be improved if these pancreatic resections are performed at centers where large volumes of cases are done annually.