Treatment Trends for Early-Stage Breast Cancer

Rates of mastectomy, bilateral mastectomy, and breast reconstruction are on the rise.

Clinicians in the U.S. who treat breast cancer patients note that women appear to be requesting mastectomy more often than breast-conserving surgery (BCS). To examine trends in the use of mastectomy and BCS, investigators used data from the National Cancer Data Base to conduct a retrospective cohort study of more than 1.2 million BCS-eligible women with early-stage disease (T0-2, N0-2, and M0) who were treated from 1998 through 2011.

Results were as follows:

A total of 35% of patients underwent mastectomy.
Mastectomy rates increased 34% between 2003 and 2011 (odds ratio in 2011 vs. 2003, 1.34; 95% confidence interval, 1.31–1.38).
In patients with in situ carcinoma, mastectomy rates increased 200% between 2003 and 2011 (odds ratio, 2.05; 95% CI,…

Reviewing Author

Henry Mark Kuerer, MD, PhD, FACS

Disclosures

Speaker's BureauPhysicians’ Education Resource, LLC

RoyaltiesMcGraw-Hill Professional; UpToDate, Inc.

Editorial BoardsAnnals of Surgical Oncology

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAmerican Society of Breast Surgeons (Chair, Publications Committee)