title: Objective assessment of aesthetic outcome after breast conserving therapy: subjective third party panel rating and objective BCCT.core software evaluation.
abstract: We analysed intra- and inter-rater agreement of subjective third party assessment and agreement with a semi-automated objective software evaluation tool (BCCT.core). We presented standardized photographs of 50 patients, taken shortly and one year after surgery to a panel of five breast surgeons, six breast nurses, seven members of a breast cancer support group, five medical and seven non-medical students. In two turns they rated aesthetic outcome on a four point scale. Moreover the same photographs were evaluated by the BCCT.core software. Intra-rater agreement in the panel members was moderate to substantial (k = 0.4-0.5; wk = 0.6-0.7; according to different subgroups and times of assessment). In contrast inter-rater agreement was only slight to fair (mk = 0.1-0.3). Agreement between the panel participants and the software was fair (wk = 0.24-0.45). Subjective third party assessment only fairly agree with objective BCCT.core evaluation just as third party participants do not agree well among each other.
authors.affiliation: University Breast Unit Heidelberg, Germany. joerg.heil@med.uni-heidelberg.de
authors.forename: Joerg
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Heil
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Carolus
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dahlkamp
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Golatta
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Domschke
authors.forename: Florian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Schuetz
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Blumenstein
authors.forename: Geraldine
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rauch
authors.forename: Christof
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sohn
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D004954:Esthetics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015412:Mastectomy, Segmental; D008875:Middle Aged; D015588:Observer Variation; D010781:Photography; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012984:Software; D016896:Treatment Outcome