The Management of Primary Breast Cancer Survival rates for women with breast cancer in England and Wales are worse than in most European countries. There is evidence of wide variations in the management of breast cancer within the country. The use of triple assessment will reduce the number of women needing surgical biopsy. Women are less anxious when they are given full verbal and written information about their condition and treatment, and opportunities to discuss options with clinical staff. Doctors may overestimate the amount of information they communicate.
Research suggests that psychosocial interventions can improve quality and length of life.
Mastectomy and breast-conserving surgery plus radiotherapy have similar survival rates. Breast conserving surgery leads to better preservation of body image but local recurrence rates are higher. Adjuvant systemic therapy using tamoxifen, ovarian ablation, or chemotherapy improves survival and recurrence rates in most groups of women and is highly cost-effective. Reducing intensity of follow-up can release resources. Research suggests that the management of breast cancer, and its outcomes, can be improved if care is provided by specialists working in multi-disciplinary teams with a sufficient throughput of new cases per year.