Impact of Facility Volume on Overall Survival in Patients With Head and Neck Cancer Undergoing Palliative Treatment.

Background: Treatment at high-volume facilities (HVF) has been associated with improved prognosis of HNC patients undergoing curative treatment. Whether this systemic factor influences survival outcomes of patients with HNC undergoing palliative treatment is unknown.

Aim: To investigate the impact of palliative treatment facility volume on overall survival (OS) in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC).

Design: The 2004 to 2018 National Cancer Database was queried retrospectively for patients with HNC undergoing palliative treatment.

Setting/participants: Patients were stratified based on treatment facility volume percentile. Multivariable binary logistic and Cox proportional hazards regression models were implemented.

Results: Of 8682 patients included, 1661 (19.1%) underwent palliative therapy at facilities with volume ≥80^th percentile. Among 972 facilities included, 643 (66.2%), 182 (18.7%), 85 (8.8%), 44 (4.5%), and 18 (1.9%) had volume <20^th, 20-40^th, 40-60^th, 60-80^th, and ≥80^th percentiles, respectively. 5-year OS rates of patients undergoing palliative therapy at facilities with volume <20^th, 20-40^th, 40-60^th, 60-80^th, and ≥80^th percentile was 11%, 13%, 11%, 14%, and 23%, respectively (P < .001). Facility volume ≥80^th percentile was associated with higher 5-year OS on multivariable Cox regression (aHR 0.34, 95% CI 0.16-0.69, P < .001). Surgical treatment (aOR 1.34, 95% CI 1.07-1.68, P = .012) was associated with undergoing treatment at facilities with volume ≥80^th percentile.

Conclusions: Undergoing palliative treatment at HVFs is associated with higher OS in HNC. The survival benefit derived from high facility volume should be carefully considered in the context of other patient and facility characteristics in end-of-life management, with specific emphasis on patient-directed goals of care.