Geographic variation in postmastectomy breast reconstruction rates.
Data on postmastectomy breast reconstructive surgery were examined for 52,357 female breast cancers that were treated with mastectomy and diagnosed in geographic areas covered by the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program. The proportion of cancers that involved reconstruction varied in these geographic areas in each age group (under age 70 years) by a factor of about four or five, even after adjustment for stage at diagnosis, marital status, and poverty rate of county of residence at diagnosis. Studies are needed to explain the large differences in reconstruction rates by geographic area.
Polednak
A P
AP
Connecticut Tumor Registry, Connecticut Department of Public Health, Hartford 06134-0308, USA. anthonypolednak@po.state.ct.us
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D015981:Epidemiologic Factors; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016462:Mammaplasty / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015411:Mastectomy, Modified Radical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015413:Mastectomy, Simple / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011159:Population Surveillance; D014481:United States