Breast Cancer
St. Anthony’s Hospital
Cancer Registry Study 1987 -2001

We reviewed all analytic cases of female breast cancer in the St. Anthony’s Hospital (SAH) Cancer Registry from 1987 through 2001, and compared the data with the benchmark database, the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB.)

There were 1,863 cases with an increasing number of patients seen per year (figure 1). The age distribution (figure 2) shows the SAH patients older than women in the National Cancer Data Base with the most common age group in the 70’s. The stage distribution (figure 3) compares favorably with national data with the percent of cases diagnosed in early stages relatively stable (figure 4). Relative survival by stage compares quite well with national data (figure 5).

It has been a goal of the Oncology Committee to increase the appropriate use of breast conservation in early stage breast cancer (figure 6). As noted (figure 7) lumpectomy is now clearly the standard of care for women with early stage breast cancer and results in survival identical to patients treated with more extensive surgery (figure 8).

In summary, physicians at St. Anthony’s hospital have been caring for an increasing number of women with breast cancer over the last 15 years. There has been a dramatic increase in the use of breast conservation with excellent survival rates that equal or surpass national standards.