Trends in breast cancer treatment in Connecticut

Data from the population-based Connecticut Tumor Registry showed an increase in partial mastectomy (PM) from 18.9% for local-stage breast cancers diagnosed in 1983 to 47.3% for those diagnosed in 1990, with no change in axillary dissection. For local-stage cancers 4 cm or smaller in size that received PM, axillary dissection increased from 39.2% in 1983 to 60.8% in 1990, with larger increases for cases < 50 and 50-59 years old, while radiotherapy increased mainly for cases 70-79 and > 80 years old. Among regional-stage cases with positive nodes (but no extension to skin or beyond the breast tissue) and 4 cm or smaller in size, PM increased from 9.4% to 29.1%, but remained lower than that among local-stage cancers. Continued monitoring is needed to assess the full impact of the 1990 NIH Consensus Conference Panel's recommendations for the treatment of early-stage breast cancer.