572 Staging Breast Cancer Patients at a District General Hospital: The Colchester Experience

Abstract Aim Metastatic disease is detectable in 4% of breast cancer patients at the time of initial diagnosis. However, there are regional and national variations in staging criteria. We evaluated the outcomes of staging breast cancer patients at our unit before and after the introduction of the new trust guidelines. Old Staging Criteria Indications: Staging investigations: New Staging Criteria Indications: Staging investigations: Method A retrospective chart review of patients undergoing staging investigations for breast cancer was performed. The cohort was divided into group A (old staging criteria) and group B (new staging criteria). Each group spanned a period of sixteen weeks. Demographic, tumour, and radiological data were collected. Results Group A (30 patients staged): 22 CT abnormal findings (73.3%), 3 distant metastasis (10%), 1 new primary tumour (3.3%). Group B (18 patients staged): 13 CT abnormal findings (72.2%), 2 distant metastasis (11.1%), 1 new primary tumour (5.6%). Conclusions A change in the staging criteria for breast cancer patients at Colchester Hospital has led to a 40% reduction in the number of patients staged, without compromising the rate of detection of malignant disease. This has obvious physical and psychological benefits for patients.