RATIONALE, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: Assuring the best standards of care - in a sustainable way - in @entity102 as @entity0 is nowadays an important challenge for any health system. The aim of this study was to present the methodology used to define a set of quality indicators, computable from administrative data for the pathway of care of @entity0 , and its application at a population level. METHOD: The cohort of 2007-2009 incident cases of @entity0 was identified through a network of six @entity5 registers in Northern Italy. Cases of @entity242 and @entity706 , @entity1 with multiple primary @entity5 and those metastatic at diagnosis were excluded; 9614 @entity1 were retained for the analysis. For each indicator, the sub-cohort of @entity1 eligible for the diagnostic/therapeutic procedures was identified and calculations were performed through record linkage between the cohort and sources of health information. Data on potential available confounders or prognostic factors were also collected. RESULTS: For a few indicators, such as cyto-histological assessment before surgery (62%) and intensive follow-up (79%), deviation from recommendations was evident. Younger @entity1 ( <=50 years) more frequently needed a short term re-intervention, while older @entity1 less frequently underwent reconstructive surgery and received palliative care. Several indicators had a great variability across hospitals. In some cases, this heterogeneity appeared to be related to the hospital size, with high-volume hospitals being more compliant to guidelines. CONCLUSION: It is possible to evaluate the quality of @entity5 care delivered in clinical practice in recent years, in order to implement interventions aimed to improve adherence to international standards of care.

Indicators based on registers and administrative data for XXXX : routine evaluation of oncologic care pathway can be implemented.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['women', 'patients'] @entity0 :: ('MESH:D001943', 'Disease') :: ['breast cancer'] @entity706 :: ('MESH:D008223', 'Disease') :: ['lymphoma'] @entity242 :: ('MESH:D012509', 'Disease') :: ['sarcoma'] @entity5 :: ('MESH:D009369', 'Disease') :: ['cancers', 'cancer'] @entity102 :: ('MESH:D002908', 'Disease') :: ['chronic diseases']
@entity0 :: (MESH:D001943,Disease) :: ['breast cancer']
