title: [Breast cancer treated at the oncologic department, University Hospital in Tromsø 1986-94].
abstract: In the period 1986 to 94, 173 women who had had a lumpectomy or a mastectomy were treated with radiotherapy at the University Hospital of Tromsø. The median diagnostic delay was 2.4 months (range 0-98.6 months). Three out of four patients were operated on within two weeks of the diagnosis being made. About two thirds experienced a delay of more than six weeks from the operation to the start of radiotherapy treatment. The five-year overall survival rate in the mastectomy and postoperative radiotherapy group was 67%. Patients with estrogen receptor positive tumours had a better prognosis. Only 5% and 7% of all patients in our region in stages I and II had breast conserving surgery (BCS) during the study period (66 patients). The five-year overall survival rate in the BCS group was 77%. BCS raised the cost per patient by about 3,000 GBP compared to modified radical mastectomy (MRM). The cost per QALY using BCS as against MRM was about 12,000 GBP. We conclude that MRM should not be used instead of BCS merely for economical reasons.
authors.affiliation: Kreftavdelingen, Regionsykehuset i Tromsø.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Norum
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Wist
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008408:Mastectomy / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015411:Mastectomy, Modified Radical / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D009664:Norway; D011379:Prognosis; D019057:Quality-Adjusted Life Years