Hospital trends in pancreatic cancer admissions: Insights from Florida, 2010-2020

Objective: Pancreatic cancer (PC) is one of the deadliest cancers worldwide. This study examines trends and relationships in PC patients’ hospital admissions, length of stay (LOS), and in-hospital mortality in Florida, while exploring associations of patient, hospital, and county characteristics.
Methods: Retrospective data from the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, American Hospital Association Annual Survey, and Area Health Resource Files were merged from 2010 to 2020. A total of 117,278 patients with primary PC diagnosis were analyzed. Mixed effects models analyzed the LOS and in-hospital mortality. All acute general medical and surgical hospitals in Florida were included.
Results: PC admissions increased significantly from 4.68% to 7.09% of total hospital admissions (p < .001), representing a 51% relative increase. Patient age increased from 68.75 to 70.99 years, while LOS decreased from 6.89 to 5.9 days. In-hospital mortality remained stable at 5.13%. Mixed effects regression models demonstrated complex county-level social determinants relationships between population health factors and individual clinical outcomes, and significant racial disparities in mortality outcomes. Black patients exhibited 18% higher odds of in-hospital mortality compared to Non-Hispanic White patients. Federal insurance provided protective effects against mortality. Comorbidity burden strongly predicted mortality risk along with market concentration.
Conclusions: Persistent racial disparities in outcomes and pronounced volume-outcome relationships highlight the need for targeted interventions addressing healthcare equity and continued tailored treatment of PC. Policymakers should address these equity issues while supporting regionalization efforts for complex cancer care.