title: Patterns of surgical treatment of breast cancer in Victoria.
abstract: We analysed data on admissions to Victorian public hospitals for surgical treatment of breast cancer over the period July 1985 to December 1988. Of the 2993 women admitted, 28.7% received breast-preserving surgery. The probability of a woman being treated conservatively was dependent on age, with women aged less than 50 or more than 70 years more likely to receive breast-preserving surgery than women aged 50-69. There was an age-specific change, of marginal statistical significance, in the proportion of women receiving breast-preserving surgery over the period. The public hospitals admissions database is a potentially useful means of monitoring patterns of surgical treatment.
authors.affiliation: Cancer Epidemiology Centre, Carlton South, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: S F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Hurley
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Livingston
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Jolley
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Hart
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D016208:Databases, Factual; D005260:Female; D006779:Hospitals, Public; D006801:Humans; D008408:Mastectomy / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends*; D014739:Victoria