A report released earlier this week showed that age and travel time,
among others, largely affect mastectomy rates among breast cancer patients in
Canada.
The report, jointly released by the Canadian Institute for Health
Information and the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer, examined surgical care
for women with invasive breast cancer and those with the non-invasive form of
the disease, ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). Mastectomy and breast-conserving
surgery (BCS, commonly known as a lumpectomy) are two types of surgery used to
treat invasive cancer and DCIS. For women diagnosed with smaller tumors,
evidence shows that BCS followed by radiation treatment provides a survival
rate comparable to mastectomy, the report said.
After following the surgical treatment of about 22,000 women for one
year starting from the date of their initial surgery, the study identified a
U-shaped relationship between age and mastectomy rates. Rates were relatively
high, 44 percent, for women aged 18 to 49 and fell to 35 percent for those aged
50 to 69. Rates rose again to 45 percent for women aged 70 and older, according
to the report. Women who choose BCS as their surgical option typically undergo
post-surgical radiation therapy, which was provided only at certain cancer
centers and often requires daily trips.
The report showed an increase in mastectomy rates corresponding to
travel time between a woman's home and the cancer center offering radiation
treatment. Mastectomy rates exceeded 50 percent for women who must travel 1.5
hours or longer to reach a center offering radiation treatment, it said.
While the choice between mastectomy and BCS is heavily influenced by the
extent of the disease upon diagnosis, factors such as perceptions of risk, body
image and attitudes toward radiation therapy and breast reconstruction play a
role in determining treatment choices, it said. "Armed with information
like this, health system planners and clinicians are in an ideal situation to
identify strengths and opportunities within existing practice, which can
collectively help to optimize breast cancer care and the experience of women
who receive surgery as part of their treatment," said Heather Bryant, vice
president of Cancer Programs, Clinical and Population Health at the Canadian
Partnership Against Cancer.
In 2012, roughly 22,700 women are likely to be diagnosed with invasive
breast cancer, making it the most commonly diagnosed cancer among Canadian
women.
Xinhua.net
Please share
No comments:
Post a Comment