Biomedical subjects

Geoff P Delaney

Publications and source records attributed to Geoff P Delaney.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Socio-economic status and patterns of care in lung cancer.

OBJECTIVE: This retrospective study aims to explore the associations between socio-economic factors and lung cancer management and outcomes in the Australian setting. METHODS: The study population consisted of patients who were living in the Northern Sydney Area Health Service (NSAHS) or South Western Sydney Area Health Service (SWSAHS) at the time of their lung cancer diagnosis in 1996. Data on patient demographics, tumour characteristics, management details, recurrence and survival were collected and compared between the two areas. Socio-economic status indicators of the two Area Health Services were obtained from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. RESULTS: There were 270 and 256 new cases of lung cancer identified in NSAHS and SWSAHS respectively. Patients in NSAHS were slightly older and there were more women. Based on the 1996 Census data, the population of NSAHS is more affluent, better educated and more likely to be employed compared with SWSAHS. The stage distributions and performance status of the two areas were similar. The utilisation rates of different treatment modalities in the two areas were similar except for chemotherapy. The five-year overall survival rate was 10.5% in NSAHS and 7.2% in SWSAHS (p=0.08). Comparison based on the SEIFA Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage did not reveal significant differences. CONCLUSION: Patients with lung cancer had similar patterns of care and survival despite differences in socio-economic profiles between the two Area Health Services. IMPLICATION: There seems to be equity of access to lung cancer services between the two Area Health Services.

Aged↗

PubMed2003

Performance of different radiotherapy workload models.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of different radiotherapy workload models using a prospectively collected dataset of patient and treatment information from a single center. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Information about all individual radiotherapy treatments was collected for 2 weeks from the three linear accelerators (linacs) in our department. This information included diagnosis code, treatment site, treatment unit, treatment time, fields per fraction, technique, beam type, blocks, wedges, junctions, port films, and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status. We evaluated the accuracy and precision of the original and revised basic treatment equivalent (BTE) model, the simple and complex Addenbrooke models, the equivalent simple treatment visit (ESTV) model, fields per hour, and two local standards of workload measurement. RESULTS: Data were collected for 2 weeks in June 2001. During this time, 151 patients were treated with 857 fractions. The revised BTE model performed better than the other models with a mean [observed -predicted] of 2.62 (2.44-2.80). It estimated 88.0% of treatment times within 5 min, which is similar to the previously reported accuracy of the model. CONCLUSION: The revised BTE model had similar accuracy and precision for data collected in our center as it did for the original dataset and performed the best of the models assessed. This model would have uses for patient scheduling, and describing workloads and case complexity.

Appointments and Schedules↗

PubMed2002

A basic treatment equivalent for high-dose-rate gynaecological brachytherapy--a pilot study.

BACKGROUND & PURPOSE: The aims of this pilot study were to assess the factors that were predictive of high-dose-rate (HDR) gynaecological brachytherapy duration and to model them using previously described Basic Treatment Equivalent (BTE) methodology. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a prospective single arm pilot study that aimed to enrol 20 patients from two centres. Patient, tumour and treatment factors were recorded. The duration of each component of brachytherapy was recorded. Univariate and bivariate analyses were conducted to identify factors that predicted overall brachytherapy duration. The generalized estimating equations method was used to derive an equation that predicted the duration of brachytherapy. RESULTS: Data were collected for 20 patients who underwent 53 episodes of brachytherapy, either as part of definitive radiotherapy (tandem and ovoids) or post-operatively (vaginal cylinder). Factors that were predictive of overall duration were technique (tandem and ovoids vs vaginal cylinder, P = 0.0007), treatment intention (definitive vs post-operative, P = 0.0001), type of plan (individual vs standard, P = 0.0001), hospital (1 vs 2, P = 0.0001) and body mass index (P = 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates the feasibility of examining factors that influence the duration of gynaecological brachytherapy using BTE methodology. To develop a reliable model, a larger multicentre study is needed. Such a model will allow comparisons of efficiency and more accurate assessment of treatment capacity between centres.

Adult↗