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The Christchurch Breast Cancer Patient Register: the first year
Valerie Davey1, Bridget Robinson, Birgit Dijkstra
1Christchurch Breast Cancer Patient Register, c/o Dept of Surgery, Christchurch Hospital, Private Bag 4710, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand. valerie.davey@cdhb.health.nz
Insights
The Christchurch Breast Cancer Patient Register (CBCR) tracked 337 patients in its first year, detailing breast cancer incidence and initial management in Canterbury. Data covers demographics, tumor types, and surgical approaches for invasive breast cancer.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Epidemiology
- Public Health
Background:
- Breast cancer is a significant public health concern.
- Establishing regional patient registers is crucial for understanding disease patterns.
- The Christchurch Breast Cancer Patient Register (CBCR) was initiated to address this need in Canterbury.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present the inaugural year's findings of the CBCR.
- To determine the incidence of breast cancer in the Canterbury region.
- To describe the initial management strategies employed for breast cancer patients.
Main Methods:
- The CBCR commenced patient recruitment in June 2009.
- Ethical approval was obtained for data collection.
- Informed consent was secured from 337 breast cancer patients for data recording.
Main Results:
- The majority of patients (68.5%) were diagnosed at age 50 or over.
- Invasive carcinoma was diagnosed in 85.8% of patients, with 47.4% undergoing mastectomy and 44.6% breast-conserving surgery.
- Ductal NST (no special type) was the predominant tumor type (68.9%) in invasive cases, and lymph node positivity was observed in 38.8%.
Conclusions:
- The first year of the CBCR successfully established a database of 337 breast cancer patients.
- Detailed findings on patient demographics, tumor characteristics, and initial surgical management are presented.
- Outcome data analysis was not feasible due to the limited follow-up period.
Aims:
The aim of this article is to present the first year's findings of the Christchurch Breast Cancer Patient Register (CBCR) to establish the incidence and management of breast cancer in the Canterbury region.
Methods:
CBCR commenced recruitment of breast cancer patients in Canterbury from June 2009. Ethical approval was granted by regional ethics committees to collect data. Patient data is recorded onto the database once informed consent is obtained.
Results:
A total of 337 patients (including one male) consented. At diagnosis, 231 (68.5%) were aged 50 years or over. 48 (14.2%) patients had carcinoma in situ with no invasive component. 289 (85.8%) patients had invasive carcinoma with 47.4% undergoing mastectomy and 44.6% breast conserving surgery whereas 8% had no primary surgery. Nodes were positive in 102 (38.8%), and the predominant tumour type was Ductal NST (no special type) in 68.9% (199) of patients with invasive carcinoma. Additional data incorporating ethnicity, oncology, additional surgical management and pathological variables are also presented in detail.
Conclusion:
Findings on 337 patients recruited and recorded on CBCR database in the first year are discussed. Due to the short follow up, outcome data is not analysed.