title: Overall survival and disease-free survival in breast cancer patients treated at the Oncology Centre in Bydgoszcz - analysis of more than six years of follow-up.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Malignant breast tumours are the largest oncological problem in the developed world. In the recent years the number of new diagnoses has exceeded 16,500 per year. Published data regarding far-distant results of breast cancer treatment that take under consideration the provincial division of the country may not be representative of the therapeutic effects achieved in specific oncological centres. The goal of this article is to analyse far-distant therapeutic results in breast cancer patients treated at the Oncology Centre in Bydgoszcz in 2006. They were compared with data available for Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodeship and with all-Poland results.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cohort of 667 breast cancer patients at Bydgoszcz Oncology Centre between Jan 1 and Dec 31, 2006 was studied. The majority of the studied group were patients in stage I (26.2%) and II (48.3%) according to the TNM staging system, 17.5% were in stage III, and 6.4% in stage IV. The 5-year survival and 5-year disease-free survival rates were calculated. Median observation time was 79 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 148 patients (22.2%) suffered a relapse. There were 168 (25.2%) deaths caused by primary disease. The 5-year survival probability was 0.761 ±0.017 and the five-year disease-free survival probability was 0.807 ±0.016. Median survival time was 76.4 months, and median disease-free survival was 19.4 months.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The five-year survival probability for breast cancer patients undergoing treatment at Bydgoszcz Oncology Centre was higher than all-Poland median five-year survival probability. The observation needs to be continued and should include the assessment of treatment in subsequent time periods.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Department of Breast Cancer and Reconstructive Surgery, Oncology Centre, Bydgoszcz, Poland.
authors.forename: Tomasz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nowikiewicz
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Oncology, Oncology Centre, Bydgoszcz, Poland.
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wiśniewska
authors.affiliation: Ambulatory of Chemotherapy, Oncology Centre, Bydgoszcz, Poland.
authors.forename: Michał
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wiśniewski
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiotherapy II, Oncology Centre, Bydgoszcz, Poland.
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Biedka
authors.affiliation: Surgical Oncology Clinic, Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, Oncology Centre, Bydgoszcz, Poland.
authors.forename: Iwona
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Głowacka
authors.affiliation: Surgical Oncology Clinic, Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, Oncology Centre, Bydgoszcz, Poland.
authors.forename: Dominika
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kozak
authors.affiliation: Clinical Department of Breast Cancer and Reconstructive Surgery, Oncology Centre, Bydgoszcz, Poland.
authors.forename: Ryszard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Laskowski
authors.affiliation: Surgical Oncology Clinic, Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, Oncology Centre, Bydgoszcz, Poland.
authors.forename: Wojciech
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zegarski
keywords: 5-year survival rate; breast cancer; mortality; treatment outcomes; treatment patterns