Population-based picture of breast reconstruction in Queensland, Australia

Approximately 40% of women with invasive breast cancer will undergo a mastectomy. Clinical practice guidelines recommend breast reconstruction (BR) options should be discussed with all women who are to undergo a mastectomy. We sought to examine rates of BR, BR methods over time and to identify factors associated with the likelihood of receiving BR in Queensland.

This population-based study used linked data from the Queensland Oncology Repository for 12 364 women who underwent a mastectomy for invasive breast cancer from 2008 to 2017. Multivariate logistic regression was used to model predictors of immediate breast reconstruction (IBR) and delayed breast reconstruction (DBR).

Overall, 2560 (20.7%) women had BR, with 9.8% having IBR and 10.9% having DBR. Factors associated with a reduced likelihood of IBR or DBR included older age (P < 0.001), living in a regional/rural area (P < 0.001) and having a mastectomy in a public versus private hospital (P < 0.001). Median time from mastectomy to DBR was 18.4 and 29.2 months for women attending a private versus public hospital, respectively (P < 0.001). Use of implant-based BR increased significantly with a corresponding decrease in autologous BR over time.

Significant disparities exist in rates of BR between public and private hospitals. Women living in regional and rural areas as well as those aged over 60 years continue to have lower rates of BR. Addressing the health system barriers and developing strategies to improve access to, and uptake of BR should be a priority.