by Kamali,
Parisa; van Bommel, Annelotte; Becherer, Babette; Cooter, Rodney; Mureau, Marc
A. M.; Pusic, Andrea; Siesling, Sabine; van der Hulst, René R. J. W.; Lin,
Samuel J.; Rakhorst, Hinne
Background: Studies based on large-volume databases have made significant
contributions to research on breast cancer surgery. To date, no comparison
between large-volume databases has been made internationally. This is the first
proof-of-concept study exploring the feasibility of combining two existing
operational databases of The Netherlands and the United States, focusing on
breast cancer care and immediate breast reconstruction specifically.313/291
Methods: The National Breast Cancer Organization The Netherlands Breast Cancer
Audit (NBCA) (2011 to 2015) and the U.S. Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End
Results (SEER) database (2010 to 2013) were compared on structure and content.
Data variables were grouped into general, treatment-specific, cancer-specific,
and follow-up variables and were matched. As proof-of-concept, mastectomy and
immediate breast reconstruction rates in patients diagnosed with invasive
breast cancer or ductal carcinoma in situ were analyzed.
Results: The NBCA included 115 variables and SEER included 112. The NBCA
included significantly more treatment-specific variables (n = 46 versus 6),
whereas the SEER database included more cancer-specific variables (n = 74
versus 26). In patients diagnosed with breast cancer or ductal carcinoma in
situ, immediate breast reconstruction was performed in 19.3 percent and 24.0
percent of the breast cancer cohort and 44.0 percent and 35.3 percent of the
ductal carcinoma in situ cohort in the NBCA and SEER, respectively. Immediate
breast reconstruction rates increased significantly over time in both data
sets.
Conclusions: This study provides a first overview of available
registry data on breast cancer care in The Netherlands and the United States,
and revealed limited data on treatment in the United States. Comparison of
treatment patterns of immediate breast reconstruction showed interesting
differences. The authors advocate the urgency for an international database
with alignment of (treatment) variables to improve quality of breast cancer
care for patients across the globe.
