Table 1.
Baseline characteristics and outcomes among patients treated with esophagectomy, stratified by treatment approach
| Variable | Surgery first (n = 871) | Induction therapy (n = 688) | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patient characteristics | |||
| Age, yrs (IQR) | 66 (58, 73) | 61 (54, 68) | < 0.001 |
| Female | 152 (17.5%) | 148 (14.2%) | 0.061 |
| Race | 0.892 | ||
| White | 800 (92.9%) | 956 (92.7%) | |
| Black | 46 (5.3%) | 59 (5.7%) | |
| Other | 15 (1.7%) | 16 (1.6%) | |
| Charlson Comorbidity Score | 0.001 | ||
| 0 | 489 (68.4%) | 540 (77%) | |
| 1 | 174 (24.3%) | 127 (18.1%) | |
| ≥2 | 52 (7.3%) | 34 (4.9%) | |
| Census tract education above median | 527 (63.7%) | 610 (61.7%) | 0.412 |
| Census tract income above median | 571 (69%) | 661 (66.9%) | 0.356 |
| Insurance | < 0.001 | ||
| Private | 339 (40.2%) | 576 (56.6%) | |
| Medicare | 451 (53.5%) | 366 (36%) | |
| Medicaid | 33 (3.9%) | 47 (4.6%) | |
| Government | 7 (0.8%) | 9 (0.9%) | |
| Uninsured | 13 (1.5%) | 20 (2%) | |
| Tumor size | < 0.001 | ||
| < 1 cm | 49 (6.3%) | 49 (7.8%) | |
| 1–1.9 cm | 110 (14.1%) | 46 (7.3%) | |
| 2–4.9 cm | 475 (61.1%) | 337 (53.8%) | |
| > 4.9 cm | 144 (18.5%) | 194 (31%) | |
| Facility volume (cases/yr) | 12 (6, 24) | 8 (5, 17) | < 0.001 |
| Days to definitive surgery (IQR) | 43 (29, 64) | 131 (112, 157) | < 0.001 |
| Outcomes and endpoints | |||
| Nodes removed (IQR) | 12 (6, 19) | 7 (2, 13) | < 0.001 |
| Surgical margins | 0.001 | ||
| Negative | 763 (91.1%) | 922 (95.5%) | |
| Positive margin –microscopic | 54 (6.4%) | 29 (3%) | |
| Positive margin -macroscopic | 21 (2.5%) | 14 (1.5%) | |
| 30-day mortality | 37 (4.2%) | 36 (3.5%) | 0.437 |
| 30-day readmission | 53 (7.6%) | 37 (5.6%) | 0.162 |
| Hospital LOS (IQR) | 11 (8, 17) | 10 (8, 15) | 0.069 |