Multidisciplinary approach to breast cancer control

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Public Health
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• A network of 22 hospitals implemented a multidisciplinary breast cancer control program.
• Data collection occurred across two distinct time periods to assess program impact.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a multidisciplinary breast cancer control network.
• To identify improvements in breast cancer detection, diagnosis, and primary therapy.

Main Methods:

• Comparative analysis of 1,800 breast cancer cases (1971-1973) versus 2,102 cases (1975-1977).
• Assessment of changes in diagnostic procedures, treatment modalities, and patient management.
• Review of hospital chart data for improvements in information quality.

Main Results:

• Increased case accrual by approximately 100 cases annually.
• Enhanced detection rates for both early-stage and advanced breast cancer.
• Reduced time from symptom onset to diagnosis (less than one month for more patients).
• Significant increase in mastectomy utilization (11% to 25%) and shift towards less invasive procedures.
• Improved diagnostic workups including increased use of bone, liver, and spleen scans.
• Enhanced quality and completeness of patient medical records.

Conclusions:

• The multidisciplinary breast cancer control network demonstrated a positive impact on patient care.
• Improvements were observed across multiple facets of breast cancer management, from detection to treatment.
• The program facilitated better data collection and more comprehensive patient management.