Blood transfusion as a risk factor for XXXX in stage III and IV operative @entity5 . The Department of Veterans Affairs @entity5 Study Group.

@entity1 @entity135 @entity2313 @entity5 @entity204
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the role of a blood transfusion in a @entity1 population with @entity135 that was treated with combined therapy (surgery and radiation). DESIGN: Retrospective, nonrandomized end point study. Univariate and multivariate analysis of 24 variables, including transfusion status. SETTING: The Veterans Affairs Cooperative Study (Cooperative Studies Program 268). @entity1 : @entity1 in the surgical arm of the study (166 @entity1 ) underwent surgery and postoperative radiation therapy for advanced (stage III and IV) @entity5 . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Identification of variables related to @entity1 time to @entity204 . RESULTS: The univariate analysis identified age, clinical N (lymph node) class, primary @entity5 site, number of pathologically positive lymph nodes, extracapsular spread, pretreatment screening hematocrit, hematocrit and @entity2313 level at 1 month after treatment, intraoperative fluids and units of blood, and total units of blood as significant (P < .05). The stepwise multivariate models identified independent significance in clinical and pathologic node status, hematocrits at both screening and 1 month, extracapsular spread, @entity2313 level at 1 month, age, and primary site. The position of each variable within the individual regression models varied. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical N class or pathologic node status occupied the first position of predictive significance in all models. Blood transfusion status never retained independent significance in any multivariate assessment.
