Purpose/Objective In the United States over 40% of incident breast cancer diagnoses are in women over 65 years of age. Effective breast cancer treatments allow elderly patients to live long, healthy lives; questions regarding long-term quality of life are increasingly important. In women over 65, post-mastectomy breast reconstruction (PMBR) is uncommon with reported rates of 6-30%. The goal of this study is to report complication rates in elderly PMBR patients and to evaluate the impact of individual surgeons on PMBR in elderly patients. Material/methods We identified 19,417 Medicare beneficiaries diagnosed with localized breast cancer between 2005 and 2011 who underwent mastectomy. Medicare claims were used to identify PMBR, post-operative complications after PMBR (within 30 days of surgery), and long-term complications related to reconstruction (within three years following surgery). Mastectomy surgeon was identified from Medicare claims with surgeon characteristics identified through linkage to the American Medical Association (AMA) Masterfile. Multi-level, multivariable logistic models clustered by surgeon and geographic area were used to determine the impact of surgeons on the likelihood of reconstruction. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and median odds ratio (MOR) were used to describe the relative impact of the individual surgeon. The ICC estimates the proportion of variability explained by the surgeon on PMBR rates. The MOR quantifies the likelihood of a patient having a different PMBR outcome if the patient were to change surgeons (or geographic area); it is directly comparable to odds ratios. Odds ratios (OR) were used to describe the impact of fixed demographic and clinical covariates. Results Among the entire cohort, 1,234 (6.4%) patients underwent PMBR. The post-operative complication rate was 8.4% and the long-term complication rate was 19.9%. Eighteen percent of the variability in PMBR use was attributed to the individual surgeon (ICC 0.181). The MOR for surgeon was found to be 1.85 (95% CI [1.70,1.99]), indicating that a patient had an 85% chance of having a different outcome (receiving or not receiving PMBR) if the patient saw a different mastectomy surgeon. The MOR for geographic area indicated that a patient had a 32% chance of having a different outcome if the patient saw a surgeon in a different geographic area (1.32, 95% CI [1.17, 1.47]). Patients who were Asian, single, older, of lower socioeconomic status, and underwent radiation therapy were less likely to undergo PMBR. Patients who had pre-operative MRI or received chemotherapy were more likely to undergo PMBR. Patients who were treated by female surgeons or plastic surgeons were significantly more likely to undergo PMBR. Overall, the individual surgeon was the most predictive of PMBR, except for the use of pre-operative MRI and mastectomy surgeon's specialty being plastic surgery. Conclusion A small minority of older women undergo PMBR despite having low post-operative and long-term complication rates. The individual surgeon and geographic area significantly influences whether older breast cancer patients will undergo PMBR. Future research should focus on surgeon characteristics that may influence a patient's decision to undergo PMBR. Citation Format: Schoenbrunner AR, Fero KE, Boero IJ, Matsuno R, Kronstadt N, Lance S, Reid C, Wallace AM, Gosman AA, Murphy JD. Post mastectomy breast reconstruction in elderly women: Complications and the impact of individual surgeons [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2016 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P3-14-02.
Introduction: Previous studies have demonstrated that an individual's attitude towards self may impact how one faces challenges. Those who view themselves as malleable (growth mindset) approach challenges and problems as a learning opportunity and an opportunity to improve and change. In contrast, those who are more fixed in their approach (fixed mindset) have difficulty with challenges or setbacks. In the present study, we applied this conceptual framework to a cohort of breast cancer patients to evaluate their attitudes towards the cancer diagnosis. The goal of this study is to test the internal validity of this questionnaire and to correlate its findings with patient-reported measures of depression, anxiety and insomnia. Methods: Twenty consecutive breast cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy completed an electronic survey consisting of 4 scales: the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS; 14 items), the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI; 7 items), a validated psychological questionnaire assessing fixed versus growth mindset (8 items), and an experimental questionnaire evaluating whether the patient views their disease as self-defining. Demographic and clinical variables were also collected. A principal components factor (PCF) analysis was used to examine the internal structure of the new questionnaire. Hierarchical linear regression analyses were performed to assess its relationship to other variables. Results: Twenty patients completed the survey during the first week of radiotherapy. Median age was 57 (range, 31–81). Five patients (25%) had Stage 0 disease, 9 (45%) Stage I, 0 (0%) Stage II, 5 (25%) Stage III, and 1 (5%) Stage IV. Seven patients (35%) received chemotherapy while 13 (65%) did not. Eleven patients (55%) had significant others while undergoing treatment and 9 (45%) were single. The PCF analysis confirmed that the items of the experimental questionnaire were internally consistent (α = .88), such that all were retained in the final scale for subsequent analyses. The extent to which patients saw cancer as self defining was statistically significantly associated with their reported levels of depression (r = .60, p < .005) and anxiety (r = .60, p < .005). There was a similar trend with reported levels of insomnia which was not statistically significant (p = 0.2). Of the demographic and clinical variables, only stage of cancer was associated with depression and anxiety. Conclusions: Patients undergoing treatment for breast cancer who view the cancer diagnosis as self-defining are more likely to self-report depression, anxiety, and insomnia. In this cohort, the experimental questionnaire demonstrated strong internal validity. An intervention that alters patients' perception of identity as it relates to the cancer diagnosis could be a promising compliment to the standard treatment of depression, anxiety, and insomnia. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2012;72(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P6-08-10.
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