Using record linkage to measure trends in breast cancer surgery

Abstract

Since the early 1990s, there has been a growing acceptance in Australia of the efficacy of breast-conserving surgery (as defined as excision of the primary tumour and adjacent breast tissue, axillary node dissection and radiotherapy of the remaining breast) for the treatment of early breast cancer. This article describes changes in the patterns of the surgical treatment of breast cancer in NSW in the period 1991 to 1995. It follows on from an earlier study by Adelson et al, which described the proportion of NSW women diagnosed with breast cancer in 1991 and 1992 who had breast-conserving therapy (BCT).