Background Bilateral mastectomies (BM) are traditionally performed by single surgeons (SS); a co-surgeon (CS) technique, where each surgeon concurrently performs a unilateral mastectomy, offers an alternative approach. We examined differences in general surgery time (GST), overall surgery time (OST), and patient complications for BM performed by CS and SS. Methods Patients undergoing BM with tissue expander reconstruction (BMTR) between January 2010 and May 2014 at our center were identified through operative case logs. GST (incision to end of BM procedure), reconstruction duration (RST) (plastic surgery start to end of reconstruction) and OST (OST= GST + RST) was calculated. Patient age, presence/stage of cancer, breast weight, axillary-procedure performed, and 30-day postoperative complications were extracted from medical records. Differences in GST and OST between CS- and SS-cases were assessed with a t-test. A multivariate linear regression was fit to identify factors associated with GST. Results 116 BMTR cases were performed [CS, n=67 (57.8%); SS, n=49 (42.2%)]. Demographic characteristics did not differ between groups. GST and OST were significantly shorter for CS-cases, 75.8 vs. 116.8 minutes, p<0.0001, and 255.2 vs. 278.3 minutes, p=0.005, respectively. Presence of a CS significantly reduces BMTR time (β=−38.82, p<0.0001). Breast weight (β=0.0093, p=0.03) and axillary dissection (β=28.69, p=0.0003) also impacted GST. Conclusions The co-surgeon approach to BMTR reduced both GST and OST, however the degree of time-savings (35.1% and 8.3% respectively) was less than hypothesized. A larger study is warranted to better characterize time, cost, and outcomes of the CS-approach for BM.
Few studies have examined care processes within providers' and institutions' control that expedite or delay care. The authors investigated the timeliness of breast cancer care at a comprehensive cancer center, focusing on factors influencing the time from initial consultation to first definitive surgery (FDS). The care of 1,461 women with breast cancer who underwent surgery at Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center from 2011 to 2013 was studied. The interval between consultation and FDS was calculated to identify variation in timeliness of care based on procedure, provider, and patients' sociodemographic characteristics. Targets of 14 days for lumpectomy and mastectomy and 28 days from mastectomy with immediate reconstruction were set and used to define delay. Mean days between consultation and FDS was 21.6 (range 1-175, sd 15.8) for lumpectomy, 36.7 (5-230, 29.1) for mastectomy, and 37.5 (7-111, 16) for mastectomy with reconstruction. Patients under 40 were less likely to be delayed (OR = 0.56, 95 % CI = 0.33-0.94, p = 0.03). Patients undergoing mastectomy alone (OR = 2.64, 95 % CI = 1.80-3.89, p < 0.0001) and mastectomy with immediate reconstruction (OR = 1.34 95 % CI = 1.00-1.79, p = 0.05) were more likely to be delayed when compared to lumpectomy. Substantial variation in surgical timeliness was identified. This study provides insight into targets for improvement including better coordination with plastic surgery and streamlining pre-operative testing. Cancer centers may consider investing in efforts to measure and improve the timeliness of cancer care.
Background Patients referred to comprehensive cancer centers arrive with clinical data requiring review. Radiology consultation for second opinions often generates additional imaging requests, however the impact of this service on breast cancer management remains unclear. We sought to identify the incidence of additional imaging requests and the effect additional imaging has on patients’ ultimate surgical management. Methods Between November 2013 and March 2014, 153 consecutive patients with breast cancer received second opinion imaging reviews and definitive surgery at our cancer center. We identified the number of additional imaging requests, the number of fulfilled requests, the modality of additional imaging completed, the number of biopsies performed, and the number of patients whose management was altered due to additional imaging results. Results Of 153 patients the mean age was 55; 98.9 % were female; 23.5% (36) had in situ carcinoma (35 DCIS/ 1 LCIS) and 76.5% (117) had invasive carcinoma. Additional imaging was suggested for 47.7% (73/153) of patients. After multi-disciplinary consultation, 65.8% (48/73) of patients underwent additional imaging. Imaging review resulted in biopsy in 43.7% (21/48) of patients and ultimately altered preliminary treatment plans in 37.5% (18/48) of patients. (Figure 1) Changes in management included: conversion to mastectomy or to breast conservation, neoadjuvant therapy, additional wire placement, and need for contralateral breast surgery. Conclusions Our analysis of second opinion imaging consultation demonstrates the significant value this service has on breast cancer management. Overall, 11.7% (18/153) of patients who underwent breast surgery had management changes as a consequence of radiologic imaging review.
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