Assessment of Textbook Oncologic Outcomes Following Modified Radical Mastectomy for Breast Cancer

Textbook oncologic outcome (TOO) is a composite outcome measure attained when all desired short-term quality metrics are met following an oncologic operation. The objective of this study was to determine the incidence of TOO and its impact on the overall survival (OS) among patients with invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) following modified radical mastectomy (MRM).

The 2004-2017 National Cancer Database was queried for patients with non-metastatic IDC who underwent MRM. TOO was defined as having attained five metrics: resection with negative microscopic margins, American Joint Committee on Cancer compliant lymph node evaluation (n ≥ 10), no prolonged length of stay (50^th percentile by year), no 30-d readmission, and no 30-d mortality. OS was defined as the time in months between the date of diagnosis and the date of death or last contact.

A total of 75,063 patients were identified, of which 40.8% achieved TOO. The TOO patients had a lower median age and were more likely to be White, privately insured, and without comorbidities. In terms of facility characteristics, patients with TOO were more likely to be seen in comprehensive community cancer programs with a high case-volume per year. The TOO group had a statistically significant higher median OS compared to the non-TOO group (165.6 versus 142.2 mo; P < 0.001). On multivariate analysis TOO was independently associated with a reduced risk of death (HR = 0.82; P < 0.001).

TOO is achieved in approximately 41% of patients undergoing MRM for IDC. Achieving TOO is associated with improved median OS and reduced risk of death. TOO therefore merits further attention in efforts to improve surgical outcomes.