12.04.11
Bowel cancer surgery death rates vary widely
Wide variations among NHS hospitals performing bowel cancer operations mean that the chances of dying after surgery run from one in 50 at some trusts to almost one in six at others.
A new study of 160,000 patients over nine years showed that the UK fairs poorly compared to other countries in terms of patients’ chance of surviving the disease.
The authors of the study, published in the specialist journal Gut, based their findings on patients’ 30-day survival rates after major bowel cancer surgery at 150 English hospitals between 1998 and 2006.
The risk of death was greater among men than women, among those living in deprived areas, and for those who needed emergency surgery.
Overall, the proportion of people who died within 30 days of major surgery for bowel cancer during the entire period was 6.7% (10,704 deaths) across all hospital trusts in England undertaking the procedure. The percentage fell over time, dropping from 6.8% in 1998 to 5.8% in 2006. But while one trust had significantly better outcomes, three trusts had significantly worse outcomes over time, two of which were foundation trusts.
“The postoperative mortality of 6.7% seen in this study is notably higher than that previously reported for the UK,” comment the authors, who add that the figures are “significantly higher than that reported from other countries.”
“This suggests that either the NHS may have fundamentally worse postoperative outcomes than some other comparable health services or that the operative risk of patients differs between countries,” they add.
The full paper is at press.psprings.co.uk/gut/april/gut232181.pdf
Tell us what you think – have your say below, or email us directly at [email protected]