Funding outcome

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer affecting Canadian women. Approximately half of women who are treated for breast cancer receive a mastectomy, a surgical operation that removes a breast. A mastectomy may have a significant impact on body image. Breast reconstruction after a mastectomy is known to have a positive impact on overall well-being. There is still much left to understand about reconstructive surgery rates after mastectomy in Alberta. We do not know if reconstructive surgery after mastectomy is less likely to occur in particular geographic regions or takes longer to occur in particular geographic regions of Alberta. This WCHRI Innovation Grant aims to use provincial data to understand how reconstructive surgery after mastectomy varies over the geography of Alberta. Using data from the Alberta Cancer Registry during 2002 to 2015 and some specialized statistical methods, we will (i) identify geographic areas where breast reconstruction is lowest or highest after mastectomy and (ii) identify geographic areas where time to breast reconstruction is shortest or longest. The specialized statistical methods are called statistical cluster detection tests. These tests allow smaller geographic areas of Alberta to be combined to identify areas where results are different than what would be expected. The combination of smaller areas allows for a more specific region to be identified than could be found than examining data at the level of Alberta Health Zones. The identified combination of areas is called a cluster. We will also determine if the characteristics of women differ inside the cluster compared to outside the cluster. With clusters identified and characteristics determined, our findings will help target resources such as more education on reconstruction options, risks, complications, and recovery expectations to inform patients on their options for reconstruction after mastectomy in Alberta.