BREAST CANCER patients operated on by specialists have fared better than those treated by other surgeons, a Yorkshire study reveals today.
For every 100 who survive five years after surgery performed by general surgeons, 108 survive if the operation is conducted by surgeons with a breast cancer caseload of more than 50 patients a year.
Reporting their results in today's British Journal of Cancer, scientists for Cancer Research UK found that patients operated on by surgeons with an annual breast cancer caseload of more than 50 patients have a 68% chance of survival after five years.
But the survival rate dropped to 60% among patients whose surgeons performed fewer than 10 breast cancer operations a year.
A new breast surgeon, Miss Shabana Iqbal, was appointed to Huddersfield Royal Infirmary in January this year.
A statement from the Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS, said: "This has been a significant development for breast services at the trust.
"Although we recognise that there is always room for improvement, Miss Iqbal and the cancer team based at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary strive to offer the best possible care for patients being treated for breast cancer.
"The report from Cancer Research UK is reassuring news for our patients and the people of Huddersfield and Calderdale."
The study was carried out by Cancer Research UK based on data from more than 11,000 patients over a five-year period.
Dr Jasmina Mikeljevic, who led the study for Cancer Research UK at St James's Hospital in Leeds, said: "Patients whose surgeons performed more than 30 breast cancer operations a year were less likely to have surgery on its own and more likely to have additional treatment.
"This is because surgeons with higher caseloads usually work in multi-disciplinary teams, where they would join a wide range of cancer specialists, and so patients would have more access to other treatments.
"Our figures for survival were based on patients treated between 1989 and 1994. We believe the situation has steadily improved in Yorkshire since then."
