Influence of the clinical care of head and neck cancer patients by the distance to the clinical center

Introduction Patient care concerning morbidity and mortality is often better in clinical centers compared to peripheral clinics. However, there is a suspicion that access to the healthcare system is restricted in patients who are not living close to the center. In addition, a difficult journey to a high-quality tumor center can have a negative impact on both a timely diagnosis and subsequent treatment.

Method This single-center study analyzes whether the length of the approach to the nearest ENT tumor center of the University Hospital correlates with the clinical stage of the tumor at the time of initial diagnosis (n = 200). The Results are presented in the context of the literature review on distance-associated impairment of the prognosis of tumor patients.

Results In this analysis of our ENT clinic we can not find a distance-associated increased tumor stage of head and neck cancer at the time of initial diagnosis (p> 0.05), which speaks for a functioning referral system and a good infrastructure in terms of traffic and social aspects.

Conclusion While efforts to enhance medical care in clinical centers are pursued, ensuring the integration of all potential patients should not be neglected, whether through promotion of local practices or a well-developed and attractive transport network. These measures can be used to diagnose tumors at an early stage and to improve the prognosis of patients.

Poster-PDF A-1766.PDF

Publication History

Article published online:
10 June 2020