BREAST-CANCER OUTCOMES AT THE STRATHFIELD-BREAST-CENTER

Background: Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and th e most common cause of cancer death in women. This report presents out comes from a multidisciplinary breast clinic established in 1989 with the specific aim of providing a rapid, integrated assess ment service for patients with breast disease. Methods: A prospective data collecti on and analysis using a Microsoft Access(TM) (Microsoft Corp., North R yde, NSW, Australia) database was established and has collected inform ation on all patients presenting for diagnosis or ongoing management o f breast cancer. Data on survival were obtained by routine follow-up v isits or contact with the patient's general practitioner. Results: Pat ient age, mode of presentation and histopathology were similar to othe r population-based studies in Australia. Ninety-three per cent of the patients had a diagnosis confirmed on the day of consultation. The ave rage time between diagnosis and surgery was 11.9 days. Breast preservi ng surgery was attempted in 68% and achieved in 50% of cases, 67% of p atients had one stage surgery. Five-year disease-free survival was 74% and is comparable with other reports. Conclusions: The centralization of services and expertise has enabled us to provide efficient service and achieve internationally comparable outcomes.