Assessment of hospital characteristics associated with improved mortality following complex upper gastrointestinal cancer surgery in Queensland

Background: High hospital‐volume and service capability are associated with improved mortality following complex cancer surgery. Using a population‐based study in Queensland, we assessed differences in mortality following oesophagectomy and pancreaticoduodenectomy, comparing high‐ and low‐volume hospitals stratified by service capability. Methods: Data on all patients undergoing oesophagectomy and pancreaticoduodenectomy for cancer in Queensland between 2001 and 2015 were obtained from the Queensland Oncology Repository. Hospital service capability was defined using the 2015 Australian Institute of Health and Welfare hospital peer groupings. Hospitals were grouped into ‘high‐volume (≥6 oesophagectomies or pancreaticoduodenectomies annually) with high service capability'; ‘low‐volume (<6) with high service capability' and ‘low‐volume with low service capability'. Multivariate Poisson models were used to estimate differences in 30‐ and 90‐day mortality between hospital groups adjusting for age, sex, socioeconomic status, Charlson and American Society of Anesthesiologists scores, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, stage and time‐period. Results: For oesophagectomy, adjusted 90‐day mortality was higher in low‐volume compared with high‐volume hospitals, regardless of service capability (low‐volume, high service: incident rate ratio (IRR) 3.86, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.74–8.57; low‐volume, low service: IRR 3.40, 95% CI 1.16–10.00). For pancreaticoduodenectomy, mortality was higher in low‐volume compared with high‐volume centres regardless of service capability: 30‐day mortality (low‐volume, high service: IRR 2.32, 95% CI 1.07–5.03; low‐volume, low service: IRR 3.92, 95% CI 1.45–10.61); 90‐day mortality (low‐volume, high service: IRR 2.36, 95% CI 1.29–4.30; low‐volume, low service: IRR 3.32, 95% CI 1.64–6.71). Conclusion: High hospital resection volumes are associated with lower post‐operative mortality following oesophagectomy and pancreaticoduodenectomy regardless of hospital service capability. This data supports centralization of these procedures to high‐volume centres.