Sex-specific differences in physical health and health services use among Canadian Veterans: a retrospective cohort study using healthcare administrative data.

INTRODUCTION: Military occupations have historically been, and continue to be, male dominated. As such, female military Veteran populations tend to be understudied, and comparisons of the physical health status and patterns of health services use between male and female Veterans are limited outside of US samples. This study aimed to compare the physical health and health services use between male and female Veterans residing in Ontario, Canada. METHODS: A retrospective cohort of 27 058 male and 4701 female Veterans residing in Ontario whose military service ended between 1990 and 2019 was identified using routinely collected administrative healthcare data. Logistic and Poisson regression models were used to assess sex-specific differences in the prevalence of select physical health conditions and rates of health services use, after multivariable adjustment for age, region of residence, rurality, neighbourhood median income quintile, length of service in years and number of comorbidities. RESULTS: The risk of rheumatoid arthritis and asthma was higher for female Veterans compared with male Veterans. Female Veterans had a lower risk of myocardial infarction, hypertension and diabetes. No sex-specific differences were noted for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Female Veterans were also more likely to access all types of health services than male Veterans. Further, female Veterans accessed primary, specialist and emergency department care at greater rates than male Veterans. No significant differences were found in the sex-specific rates of hospitalisations or home care use. CONCLUSIONS: Female Veterans residing in Ontario, Canada have different chronic health risks and engage in health services use more frequently than their male counterparts. These findings have important healthcare policy and programme planning implications, in order to ensure female Veterans have access to appropriate health services.

Population-based study of the prevalence and management of self-reported high pain scores in patients with non-resected pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Pain is a common debilitating symptom in pancreatic adenocarcinoma. This cohort study examined the use of, and factors associated with, pain-directed interventions for a high pain score in patients with non-curable pancreatic adenocarcinoma. METHODS: Administrative databases were linked and patients with non-resected pancreatic adenocarcinoma diagnosed between 2010 and 2016, who reported one or more Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS) score, were identified. A high pain score was defined as an ESAS score of at least 4. Outcomes were pain-directed interventions: opiates (in patients aged 65 years or more with universal drug coverage), nerve block and radiation therapy for a high pain score. Reduction in pain score of at least 1 point after pain-directed intervention was also evaluated. Modified Poisson regression was used to examine factors associated with pain-directed intervention. RESULTS: Among 2623 patients with a median age of 67 years, 1223 (46·6 per cent) were women, and 1621 (61·8 per cent) reported a high pain score at a median of 38 days after diagnosis. Of those with a high pain score, 75·6 per cent (688 of 910) received opiates, 13·5 per cent (219 of 1621) radiation and 1·2 per cent (19 of 1621) nerve block. The pain score decreased in 62·1 per cent of patients after administration of opiates, 73·4 per cent after radiation and all patients after nerve block. In multivariable analysis, no patient factor (age, sex, co-morbidity burden, rurality, income quintile) was associated with receipt of non-opiate pain-directed intervention for a high pain score. In patients aged at least 65 years, advanced age was associated with lower odds of opiate use. CONCLUSION: Opiates are the most common pain-directed intervention for non-curable pancreatic adenocarcinoma, whereas radiation therapy and nerve blocks are seldom used. The lack of association between pain-directed interventions and patient factors points toward practice-driven patterns.

ANTECEDENTES: El dolor es un síntoma debilitante frecuente en el adenocarcinoma de páncreas. Este estudio de cohortes examinó el uso de las intervenciones dirigidas para el tratamiento del dolor y los factores asociados a las mismas en pacientes con adenocarcinoma pancreático incurable que presentaban puntuaciones altas de dolor. MÉTODOS: Se revisaron las bases de datos administrativas y se identificaron los pacientes con adenocarcinoma pancreático no resecado diagnosticados entre 2010-2016 con puntuaciones > 1 del Sistema de Evaluación de Síntomas de Edmonton (Edmonton Symptom Assessment System, ESAS). La puntuación alta de dolor se definió como ESAS > 4. Los resultados evaluados fueron las intervenciones dirigidas contra el dolor: opiáceos (en pacientes mayores de 65 años con cobertura universal de medicamentos), bloqueo nervioso y radioterapia en el caso de puntuación alta del dolor. También se evaluó la reducción en la puntuación del dolor (> 1 punto) después de la intervención dirigida contra el dolor. Los factores asociados a la intervención contra el dolor se analizaron mediante una regresión de Poisson modificada. RESULTADOS: De los 2.623 pacientes con una mediana de edad de 67 años, 1.223 (46,6%) eran mujeres, y 1.621 (61.8%) presentaron una puntuación alta de dolor con una mediana de 38 días desde el momento del diagnóstico. De aquellos con puntuación alta de dolor, el 75,6% recibió opiáceos (n = 688/910), el 13,5% radiación (n = 219/1.621) y el 1,2% bloqueo nervioso (n = 19/1.621). La puntuación del dolor disminuyó en el 62,2% después del tratamiento con los opiáceos, en el 73,8% después de la radiación y en el 100% después del bloqueo nervioso. En el análisis multivariable, ningún factor relacionado con el paciente (edad, sexo, comorbilidades, vivir en una zona rural, quintil de ingresos) se asoció con una intervención dirigida contra dolor sin opiáceos en los casos de puntuación alta del dolor. En pacientes mayores de 65 años, la edad avanzada se asoció con menor probabilidad de uso de opiáceos. CONCLUSIÓN: Mientras que los opiáceos son la intervención dirigida contra dolor más común para el adenocarcinoma pancreático no resecable, la radioterapia y el bloqueo nervioso rara vez se usan. La falta de asociación de las intervenciones dirigidas contra el dolor con los factores del paciente apunta hacia el uso de patrones terapéuticos basados ​​en la práctica clínica.

Factors associated with receipt of symptom screening in the year after cancer diagnosis in a universal health care system: a retrospective cohort study.

Purpose: Patient-reported symptom data are collected prospectively by a provincial cancer agency to mitigate the significant symptom burden that patients with cancer experience. However, an assessment of whether such symptom screening occurs uniformly for those patients has yet to be performed. In the present study, we investigated patient, disease, and health system factors associated with receipt of symptom screening in the year after a cancer diagnosis. Methods: Patients diagnosed with cancer between 2007 and 2014 were identified. We measured whether 1 or more symptom screenings were recorded in the year after diagnosis. A multivariable modified Poisson regression with robust error variance was used to identify predictors [age, comorbidity, rurality, socioeconomic status, immigration status, cancer site, registration at a regional cancer centre (cc), and year of diagnosis] of being screened for symptoms. Results: Of 425,905 patients diagnosed with cancer, 163,610 (38%) had 1 or more symptom screening records in the year after diagnosis, and 75% survived at least 1 year. We identified variability in symptom screening by primary cancer site, regional cc, age, sex, comorbidity, material deprivation, rurality of residence, and immigration status. Patients who had been diagnosed with melanoma or endocrine cancers, who were not registered at a regional cc, who lived in the most urban areas, who were elderly, and who were immigrants were least likely to undergo symptom screening after diagnosis. Conclusions: Our evaluation of the implementation of a population-based symptom screening program in a universal health care system identified populations who are at risk for not receiving screening and who are therefore future targets for improvements in population symptom screening and better management of cancer-related symptoms at diagnosis.

Geographic variation in surgical practice patterns and outcomes for resected nonmetastatic gastric cancer in Ontario.

Background: Gastrectomy with negative resection margins and adequate lymph node dissection is the cornerstone of curative treatment for gastric cancer (gc). However, gastrectomy is a complex and invasive operation with significant morbidity and mortality. Little is known about surgical practice patterns or short- and long-term outcomes in early-stage gc in Canada. Methods: We undertook a population-based retrospective cohort study of patients with gc diagnosed between 1 April 2005 and 31 March 2008. Chart review provided clinical and operative details such as disease stage, primary tumour location, surgical approach, operation, lymph nodes, and resection margins. Administrative data provided patient demographics, geography, and vital status. Variations in treatment and outcomes were compared for 14 local health integration networks. Descriptive statistics and log-rank tests were used to examine geographic variation. Results: We identified 722 patients with nonmetastatic resected gc. We documented significant provincial variation in case mix, including primary tumour location, stage at diagnosis, and tumour grade. Short-term surgical outcomes varied across the province. The percentage of patients with 15 or fewer lymph nodes removed and examined varied from 41.8% to 73.8% (p = 0.02), and the rate of positive surgical margins ranged from 15.2% to 50.0% (p = 0.002). The 30-day surgical mortality rates did not vary statistically significantly across the province (p = 0.13); however, rates ranged from 0% to 16.7%. Overall 5-year survival was 44% and ranged from 31% to 55% across the province. Conclusions: This cohort of patients with resected stages i-iii gc is the largest analyzed in Canada, providing important historical information about treatment outcomes. Understanding the causes of regional variation will support interventions aiming to improve gc operative outcomes in the cancer system.

Regional variation in the management of metastatic gastric cancer in Ontario.

BACKGROUND: Geographic variation in cancer care is common when clear clinical management guidelines do not exist. In the present study, we sought to describe health care resource consumption by patients with metastatic gastric cancer (gc) and to investigate the possibility of regional variation. METHODS: In this population-based cohort study of patients with stage iv gastric adenocarcinoma diagnosed between 1 April 2005 and 31 March 2008, chart review and administrative health care data were linked to study resource utilization outcomes (for example, clinical investigations, treatments) in the province of Ontario. The study took a health care system perspective with a 2-year time frame. Chi-square tests were used to compare proportions of resource utilization, and analysis of variance compared mean per-patient resource consumption between geographic regions. RESULTS: A cohort of 1433 patients received 4690 endoscopic investigations, 12,033 computed tomography exams, 12,774 radiography exams, and 5059 ultrasonography exams. Nearly all patients were seen by a general practitioner (98%) and a specialist (99%), and were hospitalized (95%) or visited the emergency department (87%). Fewer than half received chemotherapy (43%), gastrectomy (37%), or radiotherapy (28%). The mean number of clinical investigations, physician visits, hospitalizations, and instances of patient accessing the emergency department or receiving radiotherapy or stent placement varied significantly by region. CONCLUSIONS: Variations in health care resource utilization for metastatic gc patients are observed across the regions of Ontario. Whether those differences reflect differential access to resources, patient preference, or physician preference is not known. The observed variation might reflect a lack of guidelines based on high-quality evidence and could partly be ameliorated with regionalization of gc care to high-volume centres.

Negative predictive value of preoperative computed tomography in determining pathologic local invasion, nodal disease, and abdominal metastases in gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: Before undergoing curative-intent resection of gastric adenocarcinoma (ga), most patients undergo abdominal computed tomography (ct) imaging to determine contraindications to resection (local invasion, distant metastases). However, the ability to detect contraindications is variable, and the literature is limited to single-institution studies. We sought to assess, on a population level, the clinical relevance of preoperative ct in evaluating the resectability of ga tumours in patients undergoing surgery. METHODS: In a provincial cancer registry, 2414 patients with ga diagnosed during 2005-2008 at 116 institutions were identified, and a primary chart review of radiology, operative, and pathology reports was performed for all patients. Preoperative abdominal ct reports were compared with intraoperative findings and final pathology reports (reference standard) to determine the negative predictive value (npv) of ct in assessing local invasion, nodal involvement, and intra-abdominal metastases. RESULTS: Among patients undergoing gastrectomy, the npv of ct imaging in detecting local invasion was 86.9% (n = 536). For nodal metastasis, the npv of ct was 43.3% (n = 450). Among patients undergoing surgical exploration, the npv of ct for intra-abdominal metastases was 52.3% (n = 407). CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative abdominal ct imaging reported as negative is most accurate in determining local invasion and least accurate in nodal assessment. The poor npv of ct should be taken into account when selecting patients for staging laparoscopy.

Pemphigus and associated comorbidities: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Pemphigus is a rare autoimmune blistering disease, reported to be associated with other coexisting and autoimmune diseases, including thyroid diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, alopecia areata, vitiligo, systemic lupus erythematosus, scleroderma and rare entities such as myasthenia gravis. AIM: To identify and describe patients with pemphigus with a diagnosed comorbidity, and to quantify the risk of additional comorbidities. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study of patients with pemphigus treated at a tertiary referral centre. Prevalence rates of 15 comorbid diseases were calculated. Age-standardized prevalence ratio (SPR) and 95% CI were calculated in comparison with prevalence rates in the general Canadian population using data from the Canadian Community Health Survey. Data were analysed using SAS software. RESULTS: In total, 295 patients were identified. An increased risk of hypothyroidism (n = 38, SPR = 1.53, 95% CI 1.08-2.10) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) (SPR = 1.48, 95% CI 0.40-3.80), and a two-fold increased risk of diabetes (SPR = 2.20, 95% CI 1.64-2.87) were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with pemphigus have a higher incidence of hypothyroidism, IBD and diabetes compared with the general population. As part of pemphigus investigations and surveillance, investigating for these conditions may be considered.