National Audit of Breast Cancer in Older Patients: 2022 annual report
The National Audit of Breast Cancer in Older Patients (NABCOP) has published its latest annual report. Based on data from women aged 50+ diagnosed with breast cancer across England and Wales between January 2014 to December 2020, the report evaluates the process of care and outcomes for older women (aged 70+ years), compared with women aged 50–69 years.
The report found that, among women receiving surgery for early invasive breast cancer (EIBC) in England and Wales, the five-year relative survival for patients aged 70–79 years and 80+ years was similar to that of patients aged 50–69 years. Other, more specific, key findings include:
- Among women diagnosed in 2019 with EIBC not detected at screening, 69% received triple diagnostic assessment (TDA) in a single visit (however variation remains by NHS organisation, with 37% of breast units having less than 70% of patients having TDA in a single visit)
- Surgery use increased for women aged 80+ years with EIBC who were fit or with mild/moderate frailty (from 62% in 2014 to 69% in 2019) – though women with severe frailty who received surgery had more than 20% excess mortality from around 3.5 years after surgery.
In addition, the report found that, where data were available, recorded contact with a breast Cancer Nurse Specialist for women diagnosed in 2019 was very high in England (96%) and Wales (99%). It also includes a number of recommendations including a call for routine adoption of the NABCOP Fitness Assessment for Older Patients form among breast units for all patients aged 70+ attending a first diagnostic clinic.
Read the full report: You can read the report by clicking on the link below.
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