Hospital practice variation in the proportion of patients with esophagogastric cancer discussed during an expert multidisciplinary team meeting.

Background: Multidisciplinary team meetings (MDTM) and especially MDTMs in which expert centres are involved (expert MDTMs) are a key element in adequate cancer care. However, variation among hospitals in the proportion of patients presented during an expert MDTM has been described. This study aims to investigate national practice variation in the proportion of patients with oesophageal or gastric cancer being discussed during an expert MDTM.

Changes in hospital variation in the probability of receiving treatment with curative intent for esophageal and gastric cancer.

Background: Previous studies describe a large variation in the proportion of patients undergoing treatment with curative intent for esophageal (EC) and gastric cancer (GC). Since centralization of surgical care was initiated and more awareness regarding hospital practice variation was potentially present, we hypothesized that hospital practice variation for potentially curable EC and GC patients changed over time.

Methods: Patients with potentially curable EC (n = 10,115) or GC (n = 3988) diagnosed between 2012-2017 were selected from the Netherlands Cancer Registry.

Expression of HLA class I antigen, aspirin use, and survival after a diagnosis of colon cancer.

Importance: Use of aspirin (which inhibits platelet function) after a colon cancer diagnosis is associated with improved overall survival. Identifying predictive biomarkers of this effect could individualize therapy and decrease toxic effects.

Objective: To demonstrate that survival benefit associated with low-dose aspirin use after a diagnosis of colorectal cancer might depend on HLA class I antigen expression.

Aspirin use after diagnosis improves survival in older adults with colon cancer: a retrospective cohort study.

Objectives: To assess survival in relation to aspirin use after diagnosis in older adults with colon cancer.

Design: Subgroup analysis of a previously published cohort and retrospective study.

Setting: Individuals registered in the Eindhoven Cancer Registry (ECR) between 1998 and 2007, linked to prescriptions of low-dose aspirin (80 mg) registered in a community pharmacy database.

Effect of hospital volume on postoperative mortality and survival after oesophageal and gastric cancer surgery in the Netherlands between 1989 and 2009.

Background: High hospital volume is associated with better outcomes after oesophagectomy and gastrectomy. In the Netherlands, a minimal volume standard of 10 oesophagectomies per year was introduced in 2006. For gastrectomy, no minimal volume standard was set.