Table 1.
Characteristics and length of stay of breast cancer patients between 1997/98 and 2004/05 by surgery group
| Variable | Group | All | 1997/98 | 1998/99 | 1999/00 | 2000/01 | 2001/02 | 2002/03 | 2003/04 | 2004/05 |
| No. patients | Mastectomy | 24,734 | 2,309 | 2,905 | 3,102 | 3,104 | 3,192 | 3,291 | 3,399 | 3,432 |
| BCS | 20,143 | 1,646 | 2,170 | 2,333 | 2,391 | 2,588 | 2,803 | 3,077 | 3,135 | |
| All surgical | 44,877 | 3,955 | 5,075 | 5,435 | 5,495 | 5,780 | 6,094 | 6,476 | 6,567 | |
| % patients | Mastectomy | 55.1 | 58.4 | 57.2 | 57.1 | 56.5 | 55.2 | 54.0 | 52.5 | 52.3 |
| BCS | 44.9 | 41.6 | 42.8 | 42.9 | 43.5 | 44.8 | 46.0 | 47.5 | 47.7 | |
| Average age (years) | Mastectomy | 60.7 | 60.4 | 60.0 | 60.4 | 60.4 | 61.1 | 60.8 | 61.6 | 60.9 |
| BCS | 58.8 | 59.1 | 58.3 | 58.3 | 58.2 | 58.5 | 59.0 | 59.2 | 59.2 | |
| Stage I (%) | Mastectomy | 25.3 | 19.3 | 24.6 | 25.7 | 26.0 | 26.0 | 25.8 | 25.7 | 27.6 |
| BCS | 53.3 | 41.3 | 53.5 | 51.8 | 54.4 | 53.7 | 54.8 | 55.0 | 56.7 | |
| Stage II (%) | Mastectomy | 53.7 | 39.1 | 55.7 | 54.7 | 55.6 | 55.8 | 54.1 | 55.3 | 55.3 |
| BCS | 38.0 | 32.3 | 38.0 | 40.3 | 38.8 | 39.1 | 37.6 | 38.1 | 37.9 | |
| Stage III (%) | Mastectomy | 11.3 | 9.2 | 11.2 | 11.6 | 10.2 | 11.0 | 12.4 | 12.5 | 11.7 |
| BCS | 2.0 | 1.9 | 2.0 | 2.3 | 1.8 | 2.0 | 2.1 | 1.9 | 1.7 | |
| Stage IV (%) | Mastectomy | 1.7 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 2.1 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 1.5 |
| BCS | 0.7 | 0.4 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.3 | |
| Stage missing (%) | Mastectomy | 8.0 | 31.1 | 7.2 | 6.4 | 6.5 | 5.1 | 5.9 | 4.7 | 3.9 |
| BCS | 6.0 | 24.2 | 5.5 | 4.7 | 4.1 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 4.3 | 3.4 | |
| Charlson 0 (%) | Mastectomy | 66.3 | 75.6 | 71.0 | 68.0 | 67.3 | 64.8 | 63.5 | 63.2 | 60.8 |
| BCS | 78.8 | 84.6 | 81.6 | 80.8 | 80.2 | 79.5 | 77.2 | 75.7 | 75.2 | |
| Charlson 1-3 (%) | Mastectomy | 6.8 | 4.5 | 5.7 | 6.7 | 6.7 | 6.4 | 6.9 | 7.9 | 9.0 |
| BCS | 6.5 | 4.1 | 5.3 | 5.8 | 6.1 | 5.4 | 6.4 | 7.3 | 9.0 | |
| Charlson 4+ (%) | Mastectomy | 26.8 | 19.9 | 23.3 | 25.3 | 26.0 | 28.7 | 29.5 | 28.9 | 30.2 |
| BCS | 14.8 | 11.2 | 13.1 | 13.4 | 13.8 | 15.1 | 16.5 | 17.1 | 15.8 | |
| Lymph node excision (%) | Mastectomy | 88.7 | 78.9 | 84.6 | 87.6 | 87.6 | 89.2 | 91.4 | 92.7 | 94.1 |
| BCS | 87.5 | 77.4 | 82.5 | 84.0 | 85.2 | 89.1 | 90.1 | 91.7 | 92.7 | |
| Reconstructive/plastic surgery (%) | Mastectomy | 15.1 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 15.3 | 14.9 | 15.8 | 16.9 | 15.7 | 15.8 |
| BCS | 2.8 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 2.8 | 3.0 | 3.1 | 2.6 | 2.8 | 3.3 | |
| Median length of stay (days) | Mastectomy | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| BCS | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |