AI Summary
The content of the article focuses on characterizing the burden of biliary tract cancers (BTC) across 28 hospitals in Ontario, Canada. The study analyzes BTC-related hospitalizations from 2015 to 2021, specifically looking at intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA), extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, and gallbladder cancers. The results show that the number of unique patients with BTC-related hospitalizations increased over time, with a significant increase in iCCA-related hospitalizations. The length of hospital stay for iCCA-related hospitalizations decreased over the study period, while in-hospital deaths remained stable. Other outcomes such as readmissions, medical imaging tests, and intensive care unit hospitalizations remained stable. The cost of hospitalization for the BTC cohort also increased over time. Overall, this real-world data analysis demonstrates the growing burden of BTC-related hospitalizations in Ontario and emphasizes the need for further research and interventions in this area.
Abstract
Background and Aims
The incidence of biliary tract cancers (BTC) appears to be increasing worldwide. We analyzed the characteristics of BTC-related hospitalizations under medical services across 28 hospitals in Ontario, Canada.
Methods
This study uses data collected by GEMINI, a hospital research data network. BTC-related hospitalizations from 2015 to 2021 under the Department of Medicine or intensive care unit were captured using the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision, codes for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA), extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, and gallbladder cancers.
Results
A total of 4596 BTC-related hospitalizations (2720 iCCA, 1269 extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, 607 gallbladder cancers) were analyzed. The number of unique patients with BTC-related hospitalizations increased over time. For iCCA-related hospitalizations, the total number of hospitalizations increased (from 385 in 2016 to 420 in 2021, p = .005), the hospital length of stay decreased over the study period (mean 10 days [SD, 12] in 2016 to 9 days [SD, 8] in 2021, p = .04), and the number of in-hospital deaths was stable (from 68 [18%] in 2016 to 55 [13%] in 2021, p = .62). Other outcomes such as 30-day readmissions, medical imaging tests, intensive care unit–specific hospitalizations, and length of stay were stable over time for all cohorts. The cost of hospitalization for the BTC cohort increased from median $8203 CAD (interquartile range, 5063–15,543) in 2017 to $8507 CAD (interquartile range, 5345–14,755) in 2021.
Conclusions
This real-world data analysis showed a rising number of patients with BTC-related hospitalizations and rising number of iCCA-related hospitalizations across 28 hospitals in Ontario between 2015 and 2021.