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RACS ASC 2024

Impact of geographical health disparities on outcomes following pelvic exenteration at a centralised quaternary referral centre

Poster

Presentation Description

Institution: Royal Prince Alfred Hospital - NSW, Australia

Purpose Pelvic exenteration (PE) is a radical procedure performed for primary or recurrent malignancies confined to the pelvis. Health outcomes for rural Australian populations are generally inferior compared to those from metropolitan centres, however, the effect of geographical location on outcomes following PE is poorly defined. The aim of this study was to investigate how geographical location affects oncological, quality of life (QoL) and survival outcomes following PE. Methodology Consecutive patients undergoing PE between 1994 and 2022 at a single centre were included. Patient post codes were linked with the Australian Statistical Geography Standard Remoteness Structure to stratify patients into five groups based on their location of residence. Primary outcome measures included patient survival, QoL and oncological outcomes. Results A total of 953 patients were included, of which 626 (65.7%) were from major cities, 227 (23.8%) inner regional, 84 (8.8%) outer regional, 9 (0.9%) remote, and 7 (0.7%) very remote areas. Rural patients were more likely to undergo PE for primary rectal cancer (p = 002) and less likely for recurrent, non-rectal carcinoma (p = 0.027). Rural patients less frequently had health insurance (p < 0.001) but were more likely to have undergone neoadjuvant radiotherapy (p = 0.022). No difference in length-of-admission, in-hospital complication rates, QoL at 36 months or survival was observed. Conclusions Despite geographical disparities, selected rural patients undergoing PE at a specialist referral centre achieved equally favourable outcomes as populations from metropolitan areas. Enhancing access to specialised care may facilitate better outcomes of patients residing in regional and remote areas.

Speakers

Authors

Authors

Dr Charles Risbey - , Dr Kilian Brown - , Prof. Michael Solomon - , A/Prof. Cherry Koh - , Mr Sascha Karunaratne - , A/Prof. Daniel Steffens -