• Amy T Du, Jonathan C Pang, Robert Victor, Leo Li Tang Meller, Sina J Torabi, Khodayar Goshtasbi, Michael G Kim, HsuFrank P KFPKDepartment of Neurological Surgery, University of California, Irvine, Orange, California, USA., and Edward C Kuan.
• Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of California, Irvine, Orange, California, USA; Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida, USA.
• World Neurosurg. 2022 Oct 1; 166: e561e567e561-e567.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the influence of facility case volume and type on skull base chordoma treatment and overall survival (OS).MethodsThe 2004-2016 National Cancer Database was queried for skull base chordoma patients receiving definitive treatment. Facilities were categorized into 2 cohorts by calculating the mean number of patients treated per facility and using cutoff numbers that were 0.5 SD above and below the computed mean to separate the groups. As, by definition of the inclusion criteria, all included facilities treated at least 1 patient, low-volume facilities were defined as treating 1 patient, and high-volume facilities were defined as treating ≥7 patients; mid-volume facilities (facilities treating ≥2 but ≤6 patients) were excluded. Differences in treatment course, outcomes, and OS by facility type were assessed.ResultsThe study included 658 patients (44.8% female, 79.5% White). The 187 unique facilities were categorized into 95 low-volume facilities (treating 1 patient during timeline) and 26 high-volume facilities (treating ≥7 patients during timeline). Kaplan-Meier log-rank analysis demonstrated a significant positive association between facility volume and OS (P < 0.001) and an improvement in OS in patients at academic facilities (P = 0.018). On Cox proportional hazards multivariate regression after adjusting for sex, age, Charlson-Deyo comorbidity index, and insurance type, high-volume facilities and academic facilities were associated with a lower mortality risk than low-volume facilities and nonacademic facilities (P < 0.001 and P = 0.03, respectively).ConclusionsHigher facility case volume and academic facility type appear to be associated with improved survival outcomes in treatment of skull base chordomas.Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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