Background: Over the last decade there has been a paradigm shift in the management of breast\r\ncancer, subsequent to revised surgical oncology guidelines and consensus statements which were\r\nderived in light of landmark breast cancer clinical trials conducted throughout the latter part of the\r\n20th century. However the sheer impact of this paradigm shift upon all modalities of treatment,\r\nand the current trends in management of the disease, are largely unknown. We aimed to assess the\r\nchanging practices of breast cancer management over the last decade within a specialist tertiary\r\nreferral Breast Cancer Centre.\r\nMethods: Comparative analysis of all aspects of the management of breast cancer patients, who\r\npresented to a tertiary referral Breast Cancer Centre in 1995/1996 and 2005/2006, was\r\nundertaken and measured against The European Society for Surgical Oncology guidelines for the\r\nsurgical management of mammographically detected lesions [1998].\r\nResults: 613 patients'' case profiles were analysed. Over the last decade we observed a dramatic\r\nincrease in incidence of breast cancer [>100%], a move to less invasive diagnostic and surgical\r\ntherapeutic techniques, as well as increased use of adjuvant therapies. We also witnessed the\r\nintroduction of immediate breast reconstruction as part of routine practice\r\nConclusion: We demonstrate that radical changes have occurred in the management of breast\r\ncancer in the last decade, in keeping with international guidelines. It remains incumbent upon us to\r\ncontinue to adapt our practice patterns in light of emerging knowledge and best evidence.
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