Patterns of Multidisciplinary Care of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Medicare Patients.

ABSTRACT:

Importance

Multidisciplinary care (MDC) yields proven benefits for patients with cancer, although it may be underused in the complex management of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

Objective

To characterize the patterns of MDC in the treatment of HNSCC among elderly patients in the US.

Design, setting, and participants

This nationwide, population-based, retrospective cohort study used Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare linked data from January 1, 1991, to December 31, 2011, to identify patients 66 years or older diagnosed with head and neck cancer and determine the dates of diagnosis, oncology consultations, treatment initiation, and speech therapy evaluation in addition to MDC completion. Multidisciplinary care was defined in a s

SUBMITTER: Hansen CC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7582229 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature