Moving beyond the stage: how characteristics at diagnosis dictate treatment and treatment-related quality of life year losses for women with early stage invasive breast cancer

Abstract

Background:Although evaluations of breast cancer screening programs frequently estimate quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) losses by stage, other breast cancer characteristics influence treatment and vary by mode of detection–i.e. whether the cancer is detected through screening (screen-detected), between screening rounds (interval-detected) or outside screening (community-detected). Here, we estimate the association between early-stage invasive breast cancer (ESIBC) characteristics and treatment-related QALY losses. Methods:Using clinicopathological and treatment information from 675 women managed for ESIBC, we estimated the average five-year treatment-related QALY loss by detection group. W..