The Impact of Facility Type and Volume on Outcomes in Head and Neck Mucosal Melanoma

ObjectiveTo evaluate differences in treatment outcomes for head and neck mucosal melanoma (HNMM) patients seen at academic versus nonacademic centers and high versus low volume facilities. Study DesignRetrospective cohort study. SettingNational Cancer Database. MethodsDifferences in treatment course and overall survival (OS) by facility type and volume were assessed for 2772 HNMM cases reported by the 2004 to 2017 National Cancer Database. A subgroup analysis was performed with a smaller cohort containing staging data. The analysis employed Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards models. ResultsA higher proportion of patients treated at academic centers within the HNMM cohort waited longer for surgery after diagnosis (p < .001), had negative surgical margins (p < .001), and were readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of surgery (p = .001); these relationships remained significant when controlling for cancer stage. Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated higher 5-year OS for patients treated at academic versus nonacademic facilities within the main cohort (32.5% +/- 1.3% vs 27.3% +/- 1.5%; p = .006) and within the stage-controlled subgroup (34.8% +/- 2.1% vs 27.2% +/- 2.6%; p = .003). Treatment at high volume versus low volume facilities was associated with improved 5-year OS for main cohort patients (33.5% +/- 1.7% vs 28.8% +/- 1.2%; p = .016) but not for subgroup patients (35.3% +/- 2.7% vs 30.1% +/- 2.1%; p = .100). Upon multivariate analysis controlling for demographic and oncologic factors, there was no significant difference in OS by facility type (main cohort: odds ratio [OR] = 1.07, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.01-1.21; subgroup: OR = 1.13, 95% CI = 0.97-1.32). ConclusionNeither facility type nor surgical volume predicts overall survival in HNMM.