Original contributionACS NSQIP risk calculator reliability in head and neck oncology: The effect of prior chemoradiation on NSQIP risk estimates following laryngectomy☆
Introduction
Among patients with head and neck cancer, estimates of postoperative wound complications following total laryngectomy vary, ranging from 7 to 41% [1]. These complications include infections, dehiscence, and pharyngocutaneous fistulas, which can increase patient morbidity and mortality rates, leading to extended Intensive Care Unit stays, longer hospital admissions and increased healthcare costs [2]. Many factors have previously been associated with postoperative complications, including previous radiotherapy, preoperative tracheostomy, radical neck dissection, and extensive surgery and flap reconstruction [2]. The majority of laryngectomies are reserved for patients who fail organ sparing therapy with chemoradiation [3]. As such, complication rates are higher compared to those seen among patients undergoing primary laryngectomy [4], [5]. Prior radiation is considered an independent predictor for both local and fistula complications [2]. Although radiation has been established as a risk factor for complications after total laryngectomy, it has not typically been used in risk calculators to predict post-operative complications [6], [7].
While the concept of risk adjustment is not new, the use of standardized and database-derived calculators to perform risk adjustment has become more widespread. For patients and surgeons, these estimates allow for better informed consent and understanding of the risks of surgery. They are also used to drive compensation as systems like the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) incentivize surgeons to discuss empirically derived risks with patients prior to performing operative procedures [8]. Perioperative risk calculation is becoming increasingly popular, especially with the continued development of easily accessible methods that may be completed in the presence of the patient. One readily available risk calculator is the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) Surgical Risk Calculator. Using standardized clinical data of preoperative risk factors and postoperative complications collected from over 2.7 million operations from > 500 hospitals in the US, the NSQIP Surgical Risk Calculator estimates the chance of various unfavorable outcomes (e.g., infection, cardiac complication, death, etc.) within 30-days following surgery (Table 1) [8], [9]. These estimates are based on outcomes that are continually refined as a greater diversity of patients and procedures are entered into the database. Individual risk is estimated based upon patient-provided information about prior health history, compared to a database of information from patients who had a similar surgical procedure, and a determination about the likelihood of outcomes and complications is made [8]. If the surgeon believes that reported risks are underestimated, the “Surgeon Adjustment of Risk” option can be used to adjust predicted risks either to the first or second standard deviation above the mean for a particular CPT code. Currently, the NSQIP Surgical Risk Calculator does not consider prior radiotherapy into its risk estimation for total laryngectomy. Therefore, enhancing our ability to predict potential postoperative complications is paramount.
We sought to determine if receipt of prior radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy would impact risk estimates derived from the NSQIP Surgical Risk Calculator for head and neck cancer patients undergoing salvage laryngectomy. We compared NSQIP-predicted rates of complications with actual complication rates among a sample of head and neck cancer patients who had undergone laryngectomy. We examined radiation-naïve patients undergoing laryngectomy as a comparison group.
Section snippets
Patient sample
After Institutional Review Board approval was obtained with complete waiver of consent, a retrospective review of cases completed January 2010 through December 2014 was conducted at an academic and private institution. Patients were included if they had a confirmed diagnosis of cancer of the head and neck region and had undergone a partial or total laryngectomy. CPT codes searched included those for total and subtotal laryngectomy with and without neck dissection (CPT 31360, 31365, 31367,
Sample characteristics
Perioperative and postoperative characteristics of the sample are provided in Table 2. Patients were either of independent or partially dependent functional status. None had disseminated cancer, acute renal failure, or systemic sepsis within 48 h prior to procedure. In the primary laryngectomy group, one patient was ventilator dependent. In the salvage laryngectomy group, one patient required dialysis, one had ascites, one required steroid for a chronic condition, and one had experienced
Discussion
Here we demonstrate in a sample of 96 patients that those undergoing salvage laryngectomy (n = 48) were significantly more likely to experience any complication postoperatively compared to those undergoing primary laryngectomy. While the NSQIP demonstrated good predictive capability and calibration in the primary laryngectomy group under study, NSQIP Calculator estimates lost predictive capability in the salvage surgery cohort when estimating risk of any complication occurring postoperatively.
Conclusions
These data provide the initial identification of preoperative risk factors with the greatest potential to negatively impact surgical outcomes following laryngectomy. Caution should be used when estimating postoperative risk among head and neck patients undergoing salvage laryngectomy, especially those of older age, poorer functional status and those requiring neck dissections. Given the evidence linking prior chemoradiation to serious postoperative complications for head and neck cancer
Acknowledgements
The authors thank Erik Rasmussen MD for his help in collecting and managing the data for the study. The authors also thank the health information management staff at their facilities for providing assistance with locating records used in analyses. This research did not receive any specific funding from agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
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Cited by (0)
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Disclosures: None of the authors have any disclosures, financial or otherwise, to make as concerns the content matter of this study.