Characteristics of patients and predictors of in-hospital mortality after hospitalization for head and neck cancers

BACKGROUND. The objectives of this study were to describe the characteristics of patients who were hospitalized for head and neck cancer (HNC) during the years 2000 through 2003 and to identify predictors of in-hospital mortality. METHODS. The Nationwide Inpatient Sample for the years 2000 through 2003 was used. All patients who had a primary diagnosis of any of the HNCs were included in the study. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify patient and hospital characteristics that were associated with in-hospital mortality. RESULTS. In total, 24,803 patients were hospitalized for HNCs. The average age of patients was 62 years, the mean length of stay in the hospital was 7.89 days, and the in-hospital mortality rate was 5.18%. Patients who had comorbid conditions and complications and patients who were grouped under the self-pay/no charge/ others category had greater odds of in-hospital mortality compared with patients who were covered by private insurance (P<.02). Patients who were treated in large-bed, urban, or teaching hospitals had lower odds of in-hospital mortality compared with patients who were treated in small or medium-bed, rural, or nonteaching hospitals, respectively(P<.03). CONCLUSIONS. Patients with comorbid conditions and complications and patients without adequate insurance coverage had greater odds of in-hospital mortality. One reason for this may be inadequate access to care because of the absence of insurance or underinsurance. Further studies controlling for disease stage will be required to determine whether insurance status and patient-related factors can influence outcomes from HNC in individual patients independent of their disease stage.