Published 7 October 2009, doi:10.1136/bmj.b4113
Cite this as: BMJ 2009;339:b4113

News

Audit shows large regional variations in uptake of breast reconstruction after mastectomy

Lynn Eaton

1 London

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

NHS trusts and independent hospitals should review the way they offer breast reconstruction to women who are undergoing mastectomy, recommends a report from breast and plastic surgeons.

The second report from the national mastectomy and breast reconstruction audit undertaken by the Royal College of Surgeons shows that more women in England with a diagnosis of breast cancer are opting for an immediate reconstruction than when the audit team last reported. Between January 2008 and March 2009 one in five women chose this option, whereas in 2006 it was one in nine.

But uptake of reconstruction varies widely from one part of the country to another, the audit found. The proportion of women who accepted an offer of immediate reconstruction varied from 17% to 62 % in different cancer networks. Of all women who underwent mastectomy, only 21% (15 479) had immediate reconstruction.

The regional variation raises questions about how effectively . . . [Full text of this article]


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