Does Children's Oncology Group hospital membership improve survival for patients with neuroblastoma or Wilms tumor?

Does Children's Oncology Group hospital membership improve survival for patients with neuroblastoma or Wilms tumor?

Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2010 Oct;55(4):621-8

Authors: Gutierrez JC, Cheung MC, Zhuge Y, Koniaris LG, Sola JE

PURPOSE: To determine prognostic significance of hospital surgical volume and Children's Oncology Group (COG) membership on neuroblastoma (NBL) and Wilms tumor (WT) survival. METHODS: The Florida Cancer Data System was queried from 1981 to 2004. RESULTS: Of 869 NBL patients, 463 were treated at COG/HVC, 246 at COG/LVC, and 160 at non-COG/LVC. COG hospitals treated a larger proportion of patients <1 year of age (P = 0.002) and relatively more patients with adrenal and mediastinal tumors (P = 0.005). COG centers more frequently administered chemotherapy (72% vs. 51%, P < 0.001). Five- and 10-year survival rates were higher at COG/HVC (70.6%, 67.7%) and COG/LVC (75.8%, 72.6%) than non-COG/LVC (59.5%, 54.4%, P < 0.05). Of 790 WT patients, 395 were treated at COG/HVC, 210 at COG/LVC, and 185 at non-COG/LVC. COG hospitals treated younger patients and lower staged tumors (P < 0.05). COG centers more frequently administered chemotherapy (88% vs. 59%, P < 0.001). Five- and 10-year survival rates were higher at COG/HVC (91.3%, 89.9%) and COG/LVC (96.7%, 94.7%) than non-COG/LVC (82.4%, 81.7%, P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis demonstrated WT patients treated at non-COG hospitals, but not NBL patients, had worse survival (HR 3.107, P = 0.01). CONCLUSION: Children treated at COG hospitals had higher overall use of chemotherapy. This translated into a significantly improved survival benefit for WT. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2010;55:621-628. (c) 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

PMID: 20806361 [PubMed - in process]

Read the complete post at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?tmpl=NoSidebarfile&db=PubMed&cmd=Retrieve&list_uids=20806361&dopt=Abstract



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There is nothing quite as devastating as hearing that word - neuroblastoma. In seconds your world is turned upside down and your normal life is but a distant memory. You are thrust into a confusing world full of fear. Your child has cancer.

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Welcome to our website. It is a place for you to find answers and ask questions. One of the primary goals of the Neuroblastoma Foundation is to ensure that parents, patients and health care professionals find the information they need to make the best treatment decisions possible for children and adults affected by neuroblastoma. There is a vast amount of information throughout the internet, much of which is encapsulated in medical jargon that is so complex that even many medical professionals have difficulty in interpreting its meaning. We are here to help to decipher this information and to make sure you (and your oncologist) understand exactly what it means to you. From treatment decisions to side effects we have parents and experts that have experienced it all and are willing to distill it for you.