title: Epidemiologic study of radiotherapy use in China in patients with breast cancer between 1999 and 2008.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To investigate the use of radiotherapy (RT) in China in patients with breast cancer over a 10-year period. A hospital-based, nationwide, multicenter, retrospective epidemiologic study of women with primary breast cancer was conducted.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients were selected randomly in 7 hospitals from 1999 to 2008. Data on overall RT, postmastectomy RT (PMRT), RT after conservative breast surgery (PBRT) and palliative RT (PRT) were recorded. RT use was analyzed, and differences were compared by using the Cochran-Armitage trend test and the χ(2) test. A total of 3732 patients were included: 1009 (27%) received RT, including 688 (18.4%) PMRT, 170 (4.6%) PBRT, 86 (2.3%) PRT, 47 (1.3%) both PMRT and PRT, and 18 (0.5%) other RT.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall use of RT increased significantly from 1999 to 2008 (2P < .001). There was a slight but significant increase in PMRT (2P = .012) and a 10-fold increase in PBRT (2P < .001); use of PRT was relatively constant (2P = .777). There was a significant difference among regions in the use of RT, PMRT, PBRT, and PRT (2P < .01). Of patients with stage III disease, 51.6% and of those with node-positive stage II disease treated by radical mastectomy, 21% had received PMRT. In patients treated by using breast conservative surgery, 83.7% received PBRT, which was not affected by stage.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In summary, in China, the overall use of RT in patients with breast cancer was quite low, but there was an increasing trend in those treated between 1999 and 2008.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Cancer Hospital (Institute), Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Shu-Lian
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Ye-Xiong
authors.initials: YX
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Bao-Ning
authors.initials: BN
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jin-Hu
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: Jian-Jun
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Qing-Kun
authors.initials: QK
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Pin
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Shan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Hong-Jian
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Xiao-Ming
authors.initials: XM
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Zhong-Hua
authors.initials: ZH
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jia-Yuan
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: You-Lin
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Qiao
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult