Mono-institutional retrospective cohort analysis of the insurance status dependent access to ENT-professionals and survival in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Background: To access the influence of insurance status on time of diagnosis, quality of treatment and survival in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

Methods: This mono-institutional retrospective cohort analysis included all HNSCC patients (n = 1,054) treated between 2001 and 2011, and subdivided the cohort according to the insurance status. Differences between the groups were analyzed using the Chi square and the unpaired student's t-test.