Abstract
PO0320: Cervix Brachytherapy Coordination: A Critical Component of On-Time Care Delivery
Brachytherapy, v 23(6), pp S130-S130
Nov 2024
Abstract
To evaluate the impact of a brachytherapy coordinator on the timeliness of completing the overall treatment package for patients with cervical cancer undergoing radiation and brachytherapy. Current ABS guidelines recommend completion of treatment in 56 days and GEC-ESTRO guidelines recommend 49 days.
This is a retrospective review of patients undergoing external beam radiation at local facilities across a broad geographic region and brachytherapy delivered at a single center. Factors including treatment before/after brachytherapy coordination implementation, distance from center, and age were evaluated for impact on the time to completion of treatment using independent T-Test, Chi-squared analysis with Bonferroni correction and bivariate regression analysis. Significance was set at p<0.05.
A total of 206 patients were identified who were treated for cervical cancer with external beam radiation and brachytherapy between 2010 and 2024. The brachytherapy coordinator position was implemented in July 2019. Median overall treatment time (OTT) for the cohort was 49 days (IQR: 45-55 days). The median driving distance to the brachytherapy facility was 47.3 miles (IQR: 15.8-67.6 miles). Prior to brachytherapy coordinator implementation (n=116 patients, 56.4%), average brachytherapy volume was 1.0 patient per month and median OTT was 50 days (IQR: 47-56 days) and following implementation (n=90 patients, 43.7%), average volume was 1.6 patients per month and median OTT was 47 days (IQR: 43-53 days), p=0.006. The proportion of patients with ABS-concordant OTT prior to coordinator implementation was 72.3% vs 82.1% (p=0.108), but the proportion with GEC-ESTRO-concordant OTT prior to coordinator implementation was 45.5% vs 61.9% (p=0.023). The median driving distance to the brachytherapy facility pre- and post-brachytherapy coordinator was similar (33.8 vs 36.9 miles, p>0.05), and was not significant for OTT completion rates.
Implementation of a dedicated brachytherapy coordinator successfully reduced median overall treatment time for cervical cancer patients treated with external beam radiation and brachytherapy from 50 days to 47 days, improving rates of current guideline-concordant treatment completion by 15% despite an increase in overall brachytherapy patient volume.
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Details
- Title
- PO0320: Cervix Brachytherapy Coordination: A Critical Component of On-Time Care Delivery
- Creators
- Shelbie Nicole OHaraSarah PopeAnkur K. PatelSushil BeriwalZachary D. HorneAbigail DareLinda Meyer
- Publication Details
- Brachytherapy, v 23(6), pp S130-S130
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- Resource Type
- Abstract
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Radiation Oncology (and Nuclear Medicine)
- Other Identifier
- 991021934015304721