Multidisciplinary team meeting and EUSOMA quality indicators in breast cancer care: A French regional multicenter study.

INTRODUCTION: We evaluate breast cancer (BC) pathway at a regional level including public, private and university institutions. We assessed the quality of multidisciplinary team meetings (MTM) and compliance with a panel of European high-quality indicators (EUSOMA QIs). METHODS: We conducted a retrospective multicenter (n = 20) study in the largest health care region in France. Between January and April 2015, we included all patients discussed at an MTM after a diagnosis of BC (n = 619). We analyzed quality of MTM by assessing the quorum, the reliability of data transcription and the exhaustivity of pre-therapeutic MTM. We then analyzed the compliance with a selected panel of 16 EUSOMA QIs. RESULTS: During MTM discussion, data were more than 95% consistent with medical records for 9/11 items. Pre-operative tumor histology (90.6%) and post-operative resection margins (84.3%) were the least concordant between medical records and MTM. Minimum standards as defined by EUSOMA were reached for 11/16 QIs, but not reached for pathology reports in non-invasive BC (78.2%), proportion of exclusive sentinel lymph node biopsies in patients with clinically negative axilla (85.2%), performing adjuvant chemotherapy (76.6%), and proportion of patients discussed in pre-therapeutic and post-operative MTM (63.5%). CONCLUSIONS: In this multicentric study evaluating the quality of BC care with a representative sample of institutions, compliance with EUSOMA indicators was satisfactory for all type of institutions. However, too few patients were discussed in pre-therapeutic MTM (especially in non-university hospitals 43.7% [39.4-48.1]) versus 88.7% for others [82.2-95.1]) and data transcription was likely responsible for up to 15% of discordance.

[Prostate cancer: Quality assessment of clinical management in the Midi-Pyrenean region in 2011]. / Cancer de la prostate : qualité de la prise en charge en Midi-Pyrénées en 2011.

OBJECTIVES: Assessing the quality of the clinical management of prostate cancer in the Midi-Pyrenean region in 2011. METHODS: The study population was randomly selected among new cases of prostate cancer presented in Multidisciplinary Team Meeting (MTM) in 2011. The indicators defined with the professionals have evaluated the quality of the diagnostic care, when treatment started and at the time of the MTM. RESULTS: Six hundred and thirty-three new patients were included (median age at diagnosis=69years, min: 48; max: 93). In diagnostic period, 92% of patients had a prostate biopsy. Performing a pelvic MRI, an abdomino-pelvic CT and bone scintigraphy concerned respectively 53%, 55% and 61% of intermediate or high-risk patients. The Gleason score, surgical margins and pathological stage were included in over 98% patient records treated by radical prostatectomy. A PSA assay in 3months after prostatectomy was found in 59% of surgical patients. The MTM was performed before treatment to 83% of patients. About three-quarters of surgical patients with stage pT≥3 or pN1 or with no healthy margins were discussed in MTM after surgery. CONCLUSION: Most of the studied indicators reach a high level. However, the lower level of realization of complementary examinations may question about their real place, accessibility and traceability. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4.

[Prostate cancer incidence and mortality trends in France from 1980 to 2011]. / Le cancer de la prostate, évolution de l'incidence et de la mortalité en France entre 1980 et 2011.

UNLABELLED: The prostate cancer became for two decades the most frequent cancer in men. We describe the evolution of its incidence and mortality from 1980 to 2011 for France. METHODS: Incidence data were collected from registries and national incidence estimates were based on the use of mortality as a correlate of incidence. RESULTS: After a very strong increase of incidence between 1980 (24.8/100,000) and 2005 (124.5/100,000), we observe a net decline since (97.7/100,000, in 2011). The reduction began earlier for the old patients. The evolution of mortality is very different. We observe a regular reduction since the end of 1990s (from 18.0/100,000 in 1990 to 10.5/100,000 in 2011). The reduction began earlier for the young patients. CONCLUSION: This pattern of evolution is observed in all the countries where the use of the PSA had caused an important increase of the diagnosis of prostate cancer. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3.

Trends in breast cancer incidence and mortality in France 1990-2008.

The objective of this work was to detail the incidence and mortality trends of invasive and in situ breast cancer (BC) in France, especially regarding the development of screening, over the 1990-2008 period. Data issued from nine population-based cancer registries were studied. The incidence of invasive BC increased annually by 0.8 % from 1990 to 1996 and more markedly by 3.2 % from 1996 to 2003, and then sharply decreased until 2006 (-2.3 % per year), especially among women aged 50-69 years (-4.9 % per year). This trend was similar whatever the introduction date of the organized screening (OS) program in the different areas. The incidence of ductal carcinoma in situ steadily increased between 1990 and 2005, particularly among women aged 50-69 years and 70 and older. At the same time, the mortality from BC decreased annually by 1.1 % over the entire study period. This decrease was more pronounced in women aged 40-49 and 50-69 and, during the 1990-1999 period, in the areas where OS began in 1989-1991. The similarity in the incidence trends for all periods of implementation of OS in the different areas was striking. This suggests that OS alone does not explain the changes observed in incidence rate. Our study highlights the importance of closely monitoring the changes in incidence and mortality indicators, and of better understanding the factors causing variation.

Waiting time disparities in breast cancer diagnosis and treatment: a population-based study in France.

Waiting times are key indicators of a health's system performance, but are not routinely available in France. We studied waiting times for diagnosis and treatment according to patients' characteristics, tumours' characteristics and medical management options in a sample of 1494 breast cancers recorded in population-based registries. The median waiting time from the first imaging detection to the treatment initiation was 34 days. Older age, co-morbidity, smaller size of tumour, detection by organised screening, biopsy, increasing number of specimens removed, multidisciplinary consulting meetings and surgery as initial treatment were related to increased waiting times in multivariate models. Many of these factors were related to good practices guidelines. However, the strong influence of organised screening programme and the disparity of waiting times according to geographical areas were of concern. Better scheduling of diagnostic tests and treatment propositions should improve waiting times in the management of breast cancer in France.

[Completeness and quality of multidisciplinary team meetings: the example of prostate cancer in the Mid-Pyrenees region]. / Exhaustivité et qualité des réunions de concertation pluridisciplinaire: l'exemple des cancers prostatiques en Midi-Pyrénées.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the completeness of the examination of cancer patient cases in a multidisciplinary team meeting (MDTM), to study the factors that can affect this examination and to assess the quality of the MDTM concerning prostate cancer in Tarn. METHODS: Completeness was estimated by comparing the database of the Tarn cancer registry containing all the inhabitants of this department for whom prostate cancer was diagnosed in 2007 with the list of patients living in Tarn whose cases were discussed during a Midi-Pyrénées MDTM. Determinants of the case discussion in MDTM were studied from data collected in medical records (age, stage at diagnosis, PSA level, Gleason score, treatment). The MDTM quality study (delay in management, whether the case was seen before or after treatment, required elements for MDTM, clinical data, conformity between suggested treatment and guidelines, adequacy between suggested and performed treatments) was based on the MDTM forms retrieved from the DCO and from medical records. RESULTS: Four hundred and fifty-nine patients were re-examined. The pretherapeutic passage rate within three months after diagnosis was 56.2%. The probability of a discussion in MDTM decreased for people over 85 years of age (OR=0.10) compared with the 70-74 year-old people and it increased for the N+M+ (OR=4.23) compared with the T1-T2. Patients for whom radiotherapy was considered were presented more frequently than the others. The MDTM quality was studied based on 220 DCO forms. The patient's physician attended the MDTM in 65% of the cases, 97% of the suggested treatments were consistent with the guidelines and 90% of the performed treatments complied with the suggested treatment. CONCLUSION: The discussion rate in MDTM has not reached the 100% planned by the first "plan cancer" yet, but when a MDTM was carried out, its compliance and adequacy were high. While seniors' cases require interdisciplinarity because of a complicated management, they were less discussed in MDTM.

Breast cancer incidence and time trend in France from 1990 to 2007: a population-based study from two French cancer registries.

BACKGROUND: The hypothesis of a link between breast cancer and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is evoked to explain the recent decrease of incidence observed in several countries. The purpose of our study is to analyse the evolution of breast cancer incidence by stage. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We used data from Tarn and Isère French cancer registries for the period 1990-2007. Trends of annual world population standardised incidence rates were studied using the Joinpoint method. RESULTS: From 1990 to 1999, the incidence of invasive breast cancer increased annually by 1.2%, then by 4.8% from 1999 till 2003 and then decreased by 1.7%. For the women aged 50-74 years, annual changes were, respectively, 1.5%, 6.0% and 3.4%. In this group, the incidence of T1/T2-N0-M0 stages increased annually by 4.6% until 2003 and then decreased by 2.2%. Since 1990, the incidence of in situ breast cancer increased annually by 5%. From 2003 to 2004, prescribing of HRT decreased substantially. CONCLUSIONS: : Since 2003, the incidence of invasive breast cancer decreased for women aged 50-74 years, mainly involving T1/T2-N0-M0 stages. The reduction in HRT prescription may partly explain this decrease. The incidence of in situ breast cancer didn't decrease during the whole period.

[Social and demographic characteristics and perinatal risks for highly deprived mothers]. / Caractéristiques socio-démographiques et risques périnatals des mères en situation de précarité.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the frequency of deprivation in pregnant women and estimate the associated medical risks. MATERIAL: and methods. A retrospective study of the hospital's computerised data (6149 women) and two prospective studies with health staff (n=534) and social workers (n=85) in two maternity hospitals. RESULTS: In the retrospective study, 17.5% of mothers were deprived. Deprivation was associated both with more difficulties during pregnancy and the perinatal period and with longer hospital stays. The prospective studies confirmed the prevalence of deprivation and gave a more detailed idea of the associated social and demographic characteristics. Deprivation was related with a combination of risk factors with a particularly important influence of economic risk. A quarter of deprived mothers had unwanted pregnancies and according to the social workers approximately 10% of them were not in a position to take care of their baby. CONCLUSION: This study emphasizes the importance of deprivation as a perinatal medical risk factor. Screening should take place in early pregnancy in order to find the best way to help such families.