Analysis of the Breast Cancer Core Measure in Taiwan

Background: Female breast cancer incidence rate has been ranked first in recent years in Taiwan. The breast cancer core measure indexes usually use to verify the treatment care quality among healthcare settings. This study aimed to observe the change of breast cancer core measure index in Taiwan.

Methods: We analyzed National Health Department of Cancer Registry team registration database of 63,621 breast cancer patients between 2007 and 2011 while receiving cancer treatment in each of 74 hospitals in Taiwan monitored by the National Health Insurance.

Results: The median age of breast cancer patients are 51, ranged 14 to 102 years old. Female was the major population and mainly diagnosed as ductal carcinoma. Although the ratio of post-operative radiotherapy in breast cancer underwent MRM with more than 3 positive nodes have been increased from 56.50%~57.53% to 75.88%~80.67% between 2007 to 2011, there were two healthcare centers still unmet the guidance number in 2011.

Discussion: Most of these indexes are related to the treatment quality, some were used to observe breast cancer treatment in Taiwan. These alterations truly reflect the confidence and acceptance of surgery among breast cancer patient and physicians. Since 2011, several major factors in breast cancer treatment such as ER, PR and HER2 had been adding into registration database. Therefore, the implementation rate of related treatment and the situation of examination are also able to be analyzed.

Conclusion: These alterations should the major treatment modality in Taiwan had been improving and changing recently.