Treatment Variation and Its Association with Survival in Patients Diagnosed with Stage I-III Breast Cancers in Alberta 2002-2010: A Population-Based Study

• Author / Creator

  Gao, He

• Standard treatments for patients with stage I-III breast cancers include 1) breast conserving surgery (BCS) plus adjuvant radiotherapy; 2) mastectomy; and 3) BCS alone (e.g. age > 70 in stage I for ER/PR+ status and received hormone therapy). Currently, there is a lack of information regarding frequency and variation in utilization of these treatments in Alberta and information regarding the survival outcomes achieved in the general population by treatment type and stage.

  In this study, we found that rural patients were less likely to receive BCS. Stage I-III patients who received BCS plus adjuvant radiotherapy had a lower hazard of overall death and stage II or III patients had a lower hazard of breast-cancer-specific death than those who received mastectomy; additionally, stage I and II patients who received BCS alone had a higher hazard of overall and breast-cancer-specific death. These suggested an inequity of care among Alberta breast cancer patients.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Outcomes of breast cancer treatment
  • Health inequality
  • Treatment variation
  • Breast cancer treatment

• Graduation date

  Spring 2014

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Science

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R3997D

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.