Multidisciplinary team meetings and their impact on survival in rectal cancer. Population-based analysis in Catalonia (Spain).

Background: Multidisciplinary team meetings (MTMs) are considered a pillar of cancer care; however, evidence of the independent benefit of MTMs on survival in rectal cancer is controversial.

Methods: This population-based cohort analysis included patients undergoing surgery for primary rectal cancer with curative intent. We drew data derived from three clinical audits conducted in Catalonia from 2011 to 2020.

Quality check: concordance between two monitoring systems for postoperative organ/space-surgical site infections in rectal cancer surgery. Linkage of data from the Catalan Cancer Plan and the VINCat infection surveillance programme.

Background: The Catalan Cancer Plan (CCP) undertakes periodic audits of cancer treatment outcomes, including organ/space surgical site infections (O/S-SSI) rates, while the Catalan Healthcare-associated Infections Surveillance Programme (VINCat) carries out standardized prospective surveillance of surgical site infections (SSI) in colorectal surgery. This cohort study aimed to assess the concordance between these two monitoring systems for O/S-SSI following primary rectal cancer surgery.

Methods: The study compared O/S-SSI incidence data from CCP clinical audits versus the VINCat Programme in patients undergoing surgery for primary rectal cancer, in 2011-12 and 2015-16, in publicly funded centres in Spain.

Management, Survival, and Costs of Pancreatic Cancer: Population-Based Observational Study in Catalonia.

Aim: Few published studies comprehensively describe the characteristics of patients with pancreatic cancer and their treatment in clinical practice. This study aimed to describe the current clinical practice for treating pancreatic cancer in Catalonia, along with the associated survival and treatment costs.

Methods: A retrospective observational cohort study in patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer from 2014 to 2018, using data from the healthcare records of the Public Health System of Catalonia, was conducted.

Socioeconomic Status and Distance to Reference Centers for Complex Cancer Diseases: A Source of Health Inequalities? A Population Cohort Study Based on Catalonia (Spain).

The centralization of complex surgical procedures for cancer in Catalonia may have led to geographical and socioeconomic inequities. In this population-based cohort study, we assessed the impacts of these two factors on 5-year survival and quality of care in patients undergoing surgery for rectal cancer (2011-12) and pancreatic cancer (2012-15) in public centers, adjusting for age, comorbidity, and tumor stage. We used data on the geographical distance between the patients' homes and their reference centers, clinical patient and treatment data, income category, and data from the patients' district hospitals.