title: The breast-conserving surgery of women with breast cancer in Podlaskie Voivodeship (Poland). Population study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The results of breast cancer treatment depend mainly on better detection in mammography screening and, consequently, a higher proportion of women with early stage of the disease. They depend also on a better access to health care services and the effectiveness of oncological treatment. One of the methods of breast cancer control is a breast-conserving surgery. With a proper patients' classification for the treatment, the results of the breast-conserving surgery do not differ in relation to mastectomy. That's why, the availability of breast-conserving surgical methods is particularly important, especially in a population in which a population screening is conducted.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The analysis of the selected aspects of the breast cancer treatment's standard in Podlaskie Voivodeship.
  
  
  METHODS
  In years 2001-2002, 709 cases of women with breast cancer were reported to the Voivodeship Cancer Registry in Bialystok. 659 women were diagnosed with a primary invasive breast cancer. Based on a cohort of 499 women treated with radical methods the following indicators, recommended by WHO for the evaluation of the breast-conserving surgery's availability, were calculated: a percentage of patients with whom breast-conserving surgery was used, a proportion of breast cancer cases receiving post-operative breast radiotherapy after breast-conserving surgery and a proportion of breast-conserving surgery in pT1 cases.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The breast-conserving surgery has been used much less frequently in Podlaskie Voivodeship than in Western Europe, but more frequently than in Poland in general.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It should be aimed to provide a surgical treatment with the use of breast-conserving surgical methods to the highest possible percentage of patients. The increase of the percentage of patients treated with breast-conserving surgery methods can be a result of an effective screening realisation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Medical University of Bialystok, Poland. dominikm@umwb.edu.pl
authors.forename: Dominik
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Maślach
authors.forename: Michalina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Krzyżak
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Szpak
authors.forename: Iwona
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bojar
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bielska-Lasota
authors.forename: Alfred
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Owoc
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015412:Mastectomy, Segmental / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011044:Poland / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult