Sarcoma Care in an Urban Health-care System: Which Factors Lead to Variance of Care?

Bone and soft tissue sarcomas are rare diagnoses in the orthopedic patient population. Without rapid evaluation and proper treatment, mortality is increased in these patients. The purpose of our study is to identify factors associated with a variance of care in bone and soft tissue sarcoma patients within a large urban hospital system. Our study retrospectively reviewed the charts of 117 patients with orthopedic tumors at both private and public hospital settings, and we recorded their treatment course. Race, insurance type, and hospital type were associated with variations in sarcoma care in our large urban hospital system. Surgeons should be aware of these variances when treating these groups of patients.