title: Patterns of care in radiotherapy of breast cancer in Austria 1985: data acquisition and comparison with data of US-PCS 1983.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In Austria, a Patterns of Care Study (PCS) has been conducted to evaluate the standards of practice for breast cancer patients. The year 1985 was selected in order to establish a base data set.
  
  
  METHODS
  At all nine radiation therapy facilities active in patient treatment in 1985, ten patients charts were randomly selected and reviewed. Evaluation of the radiotherapeutic standards was the principal purpose, however, surgical and histopathological parameters were also considered.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Results of the Austrian PCS (including 90 patients) were compared with the "1983 Patterns of Care Process Survey for Definitive Breast Irradiation" performed in 1983 in the U.S. (including 191 patients). Documentation of pathologic tumour size (83% vs. 73%), histologic tumour subtype (99% vs. 97%) and microscopic margin analysis (60% vs. 51%) showed comparable results. Technical equipment was obviously quite different in the two countries, cobalt therapy was used in 25% in the US-PCS compared to 71% in the Austrian PCS. A clear difference also was obtained concerning the use of wedges for tangential breast/thoracic wall fields (64% vs. 21%) and the frequency of portal films (93% vs. 26%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Comparing both PCS studies, we found overall many similarities. Differences could be obtained in the quality level of radiation treatment, as for example use of wedges for tangential fields and the number of portal films. In a next step, a further Austrian PCS is planned to compare the Austrian base data from 1985 with quality standards from 1993 and 2001.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, University Medical School of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 32, A-8036 Graz, Austria.
authors.forename: Ramona
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mayer
authors.forename: Lore
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Handl-Zeller
authors.forename: Franz
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Quehenberger
authors.forename: Josef
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hammer
authors.forename: Gerhard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kametriser
authors.forename: Heinrich
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kolbabek
authors.forename: Katja
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Petrova-Schuman
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Raunik
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Rhomberg
authors.forename: Annemarie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schratter-Sehn
authors.forename: Arnulf
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hackl
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pötter
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001317:Austria; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D018270:Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D018275:Carcinoma, Lobular / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014481:United States