Time to operative care for breast cancer in the Cape Metro West region
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Time from diagnosis to operative care is a quality indicator in breast cancer (BCA) care. The recommended time from diagnosis to definitive treatment in South Africa (SA) is 31 days. The primary objective of this study was to determine the time to operative care (TOC) for BCA patients attending a multidisciplinary breast clinic at a tertiary hospital in Cape Town, SA. METHODS: This was a retrospective review of women with BCA reviewed by the BCA multidisciplinary unit at Groote Schuur Hospital, SA, from 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2019. RESULTS: = 0.008) shorter than at the tertiary hospital after controlling for age, district, and stage of cancer. CONCLUSION: A low proportion of women with BCA had definitive surgery within the 31-day recommended waiting period. Decentralisation of operative care allowed faster access to surgery at district hospitals for women who did not need sentinel node biopsy or advanced anaesthesia care. Identifying additional resources needed to decrease TOC for BCA patients could improve access to timeous surgical care.
Source: South African Journal of Surgery
DOI: 10.36303/sajs.01276
Language: English
Subfield: Cancer Research
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4413705784