The National Bowel Cancer Project: Social Deprivation Is an Independent Predictor of Nonrestorative Rectal Cancer Surgery

PURPOSE: This study was designed to assess the impact of social deprivation on rates of abdominoperineal excision of the rectum in the United Kingdom. METHODS: Data were extracted from the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland Colorectal Cancer Database (2000-2005). Social deprivation was assessed by using the Index of Multiple Deprivation (2004) score. Logistic regression was performed to identify independent predictors of nonrestorative surgery. RESULTS: A total of 12,128 patients underwent anterior resection or abdominoperineal excision for Dukes A-C cancer in 101 centers; 2,625 patients (21.6 percent) underwent abdominoperineal excision (median, 20.8 (interquartile range, 16.5-27.9) percent per unit). Abdominoperineal excision rates decreased from 24.3 to 18.2 percent (P < 0.001) and varied between the least and most deprived groups from 18 to 26.4 percent, respectively (P < 0.001). Independent predictors of abdominoperineal excision were: year of surgery (odds ratio = 0.855 per year increase, P < 0.001), female vs. male gender (odds ratio = 0.82, P < 0.001), use of neoadjuvant radiotherapy (odds ratio = 2.4, P < 0.001), and social deprivation (most vs. least deprived: odds ratio = 1.638, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Abdominoperineal excision rates vary considerably between centers. Gender and deprivation status independently predict formation of a permanent stoma. These results have important implications for intercenter comparisons of surgical quality and may suggest inequalities in health care provision.