For patients treated with local tumor excision for kidney cancer, what quality measure is checked by NCDB?

The correct answer reflects the importance of understanding the specific quality measures utilized by the National Cancer Database (NCDB) in evaluating treatment for kidney cancer, particularly in the context of local tumor excision. For patients treated with this type of surgery, NCDB focuses on the type of surgery performed as a quality measure. This is crucial because it allows for standardized assessment of the treatment being used and its appropriateness in managing kidney cancer, which can vary in presentation and complexity among patients.

The emphasis on the type of surgery performed helps ensure that patients are receiving evidence-based care tailored to their specific disease characteristics. This measurement allows for the evaluation of the effectiveness of surgical interventions and helps in benchmarking outcomes across different institutions and practices.

In comparison, other aspects such as node involvement assessment or the presence of tumor metastasis are more relevant to the staging and prognosis of the cancer rather than the evaluation of the quality of surgical intervention being directly assessed by the NCDB in this context. Feasibility of nephron-sparing surgery, while significant, focuses on procedural considerations that may not be specifically quantified in the quality measures tracked for local excision cases. Thus, the NCDB’s focus on the type of surgery performed is essential for ensuring high standards in surgical oncology.