Association between length of stay and postoperative survival in patients with lung cancer: a propensity score matching analysis based on National Cancer Database

• Published in: Journal of thoracic disease 2023-04, Vol.15 (4), p.1785-1793
• Main Authors: Kong, Weicheng, Wang, Haoran, Chen, Yanyan, Xie, Juntao, Huang, Binhao, Fang, Liang, Chen, Wenjuan, Shao, Wei, Zhang, Jie
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Original
• ISSN: 2072-1439; 2077-6624
• DOI: 10.21037/jtd-23-407

Postoperative complications tend to result in prolonged hospitalization. The aim of this study was to investigate whether prolonged postoperative length of stay (LOS) can predict patient survival, particularly long-term survival. All patients undergoing lung cancer surgery between 2004 and 2015 were identified in the National Cancer Database (NCDB). The highest quintile of LOS (more than 8 days) was defined as prolonged length of stay (PLOS). We performed 1:1 propensity score matching (PSM) between the groups with and without PLOS (Non-PLOS). Excluding confounding factors, postoperative LOS was used as a surrogate for postoperative complications. Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards survival analyses were performed to analyze survival. A total of 88,007 patients were identified. After matching, 18,585 patients were enrolled in the PLOS and Non-PLOS groups, respectively. Before and after matching, 30-day rehospitalization rate and 90-day mortality in the PLOS group were significantly higher than they were in the Non-PLOS group (P