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Introduction: We investigated race and ethnicity-based disparities in first course treatment and overall survival among Wisconsin pancreatic cancer patients., Methods: We identified adults diagnosed with pancreatic adenocarcinoma in the Wisconsin Cancer Reporting System from 2004 through 2017. We assessed race and ethnicity-based disparities in first course of treatment via adjusted logistic regression and overall survival via 4 incremental Cox proportional hazards regression models., Results: The study included 8,490 patients: 91.3% (n = 7,755) non-Hispanic White; 5.1% (n = 437) non-Hispanic Black, 1.8% (n = 151) Hispanic, 0.6% Native American (n = 53), and 0.6% Asian (n = 51) race and ethnicities. Non-Hispanic Black patients had lower odds of treatment than non-Hispanic White patients for full patient (OR, 0.52; 95% CI, 0.41-0.65) and Medicare cohorts (OR, 0.40; 95% CI, 0.29-0.55). Non-Hispanic Black patients had lower odds of receiving surgery than non-Hispanic White patients (full cohort OR, 0.67 [95% CI, 0.48-0.92]; Medicare cohort OR, 0.57 [95% CI, 0.34-0.93]). Non-Hispanic Black patients experienced worse survival than non-Hispanic White patients in the first 2 incremental Cox proportional hazard regression models (model II HR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.06-1.31). After adding insurance and treatment course, non-Hispanic Black and non-Hispanic White patients experienced similar survival (HR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.88-1.09)., Conclusion: Non-Hispanic Black patients were almost 50% less likely to receive any treatment and 33% less likely to receive surgery than non-Hispanic White patients. After including treatment course, non-Hispanic Black and non-Hispanic White patient survival was similar. Increasing non-Hispanic Black patient treatment rates by addressing structural factors affecting treatment availability and employing culturally humble approaches to treatment discussions may mitigate these disparities., (Copyright© Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and The Medical College of Wisconsin, Inc.)

Background: Currently, no serological prognostic marker exists for pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNETs). Previous studies have suggested potential for chromogranin A (CgA); however, the prognostic capability of CgA remains controversial. Our purpose was to explore preoperative CgA levels in predicting outcomes in patients with resected pNETs., Materials and Methods: Patients with preoperative CgA levels who underwent resection of a pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor between July 2002 and May 2013 were identified from a prospective database. An elevated preoperative CgA was defined as a CgA laboratory value above the normal limit of the assay. All patients had pathologically confirmed primary pancreatic tumors. Outcomes were compared between elevated and normal CgA groups., Results: A total of 38 patients were identified that met inclusion criteria. Of these, 45% were male, and the median age was 57 y (range, 17-81 y). All underwent resection with curative intent. Elevated preoperative CgA was present in 16 patients (42%). There were no differences in node positivity or margin status between the normal CgA and elevated CgA groups on univariate analysis. However, tumor size and grade were significantly different between the two groups. Both disease-free survival (DFS; P = 0.006) and overall survival (P = 0.017) were negatively impacted by an elevated preoperative CgA (median follow-up; 40 mo)., Conclusions: In patients with resected pNETs, an elevated preoperative CgA level was negatively associated with DFS and OS and was the only independent predictor of DFS. These results indicate that preoperative CgA may be a clinically useful prognostic marker for patients undergoing pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor resection., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Thirty-day readmissions are common in general surgery patients and affect long-term outcomes including mortality. We sought to determine the effect of complication timing on postoperative readmissions., Methods: Patients from our institutional American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Project database who underwent general surgery procedures from 2006 to 2011 were included. The primary outcome of interest was 30-day hospital readmission., Results: Patients diagnosed with postdischarge complications were significantly more likely to be readmitted (56%) compared with patients diagnosed with complications before discharge (7%, P < .001). Independent predictors of postdischarge complications included laparoscopic case, short hospital stay, preoperative dyspnea, and independent functional status. Gastrointestinal complications and surgical site infection were the most common reasons for readmission., Conclusions: The development of complications after hospital discharge places patients at significant risk for readmission. Early identification and treatment of gastrointestinal complications and surgical site infections in the outpatient setting may decrease postoperative readmission rates., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The aim of this study was to characterize patients readmitted following inpatient general surgery procedures. We hypothesized that a decreased length of stay would increase risk for readmission., Methods: We utilized our institutional National Surgical Quality Improvement Project database from 2006 to 2011. The main outcome of interest was 30-day readmission. Univariate and logistic regression analyses identified risk factors for readmission., Results: We identified 3,556 patients, with 322 (9%) readmitted within 30 days after discharge. Multivariable analysis demonstrated age, dyspnea, and American Society of Anesthesiologists class to be independent risk factors for readmission. In addition, patients who suffered multiple complications had a decreased risk for readmission as length of stay increased. Patients with <2 postoperative complications had an increased risk for readmission as length of stay increased., Conclusions: Contributors to postoperative readmissions are multifactorial. Perioperative factors predict risk for readmission and may help determine a target length of stay. Prevention of postoperative complications may reduce readmission rates., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)