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Hypofractionated whole breast irradiation for early stage breast cancer in a large community-based physician practice

  • Original Research
  • Published:
Journal of Radiation Oncology

Abstract

Objective

Hypofractionated whole breast irradiation has been found, in clinical trials, to be a clinically efficacious short course of treatment for patients with early stage breast cancer treated with breast-conserving surgery that is underused in the USA as compared to Canada and the UK. The purpose of this study was to examine the use of hypofractionated whole breast irradiation over time in a large, multistate privately owned, community-based radiation oncology practice in the USA.

Methods

Bivariate and multivariate analyses were used. A logistic regression model was developed to identify an association between patient, tumor and nonclinical factors, and the odds of receiving hypofractionation whole breast irradiation in a group of patients who would be appropriate for this treatment.

Results

The use of hypofractionated whole breast irradiation increased over time, but the overall rate in 2013 remained quite low at 8.7 %. Additionally, the factors associated with the use of this treatment were nonclinical in nature and included advanced age and region of the USA.

Conclusion

The use of hypofractionated whole breast irradiation has been found to be slowly increasing in the USA; however, it remains low. Additional studies are needed to evaluate the use of incentives with which to encourage the use of this cost-effective and efficacious treatment in the USA.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Rutgers University School of Nursing-Camden, 215 3rd St., Camden, NJ, 08102, USA

    Bonnie Jerome-D’Emilia

  2. The Northern Navajo Medical Center, P.O. Box 160, Hwy 491, North Shiprock, NM, 87420, USA

    John D’Emilia

Authors
  1. Bonnie Jerome-D’Emilia
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  2. John D’Emilia
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bonnie Jerome-D’Emilia.

Ethics declarations

Funding

This study was supported by funding from the American Society of Breast Surgeons.

Conflict of interest

Bonnie Jerome-D’Emilia declares that she has no conflict of interest.

John D’Emilia was employed as a surgeon from 2014 to 2015 with the private physician group that has provided the data for this study.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed consent

For this type of study, formal consent is not required.

Additional information

Assistance was provided by Patricia Suplee, PhD, RNC-OB and Rachel D’Emilia

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Jerome-D’Emilia, B., D’Emilia, J. Hypofractionated whole breast irradiation for early stage breast cancer in a large community-based physician practice. J Radiat Oncol 5, 417–425 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13566-016-0286-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13566-016-0286-z

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