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2001 FEB 8 - (NewsRx.com) -- It has been known for some time that there are marked variations in survival after diagnosis with breast cancer.
Chances of survival hinge mainly on the specific cellular characteristics of tumors and the stage of the disease at diagnosis. However, when controlling for these factors, women with seemingly similar tumors at the same stage of the disease experience different disease-free and survival rates.
In the Canadian Medical Association Journal, Dr. Vivek Goel and colleagues reported on efforts to determine if initial treatment of breast cancer at specialized centers (teaching hospitals) makes any difference in survival. They identified 938 women with early stage breast cancer (breast cancer limited to the breast) from the records of the Ontario Cancer Registry and followed these women for five years.
Women who were initially treated in community hospitals had a five-year survival rate of 88.7% versus 92.5% among women who were initially treated in teaching hospitals, the researchers found. These differences were more marked among women with very small tumors at initial staging ([less than]2 ...
Source: HighBeam Research, Does Specialized Care Mean Better Care?(breast cancer treatment...