Rectal cancer patients benefit from implementation of a dedicated colorectal cancer center in a Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Abstract Background A dedicated colorectal cancer (CRC) center was created in a Veterans Affairs Medical Center with the intent of improving quality of patient care and multidisciplinary cooperation. Methods Retrospective and prospective databases before and after creation of the CRC center, respectively, were created. Patients entered in each database included those requiring surgical intervention for CRC treatment. Statistical analyses included Fisher's exact, chi-square, and unpaired Student t tests as well as analysis of variance. Results The overall quality of care of CRC patients has improved as evidenced by a larger percentage of complete, margin-negative resections ( P P P Conclusions A dedicated CRC center has significantly improved quality of care for CRC patients.