Table 1.
Characteristics of patients with stage I–II breast cancer in 2005–2006
| N | % | % received brachytherapy* | P-value** | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 2087 | 4.7 | ||
| Patient characteristics | ||||
| Age group | .23 | |||
| 67–69 | 403 | 19.3 | 4.7 | |
| 70–74 | 579 | 27.7 | 4.8 | |
| 75–79 | 527 | 25.3 | 5.9 | |
| 80–89 | 578 | 27.7 | 3.3 | |
| Race | .19 | |||
| White | 1923 | 92.1 | >3.9 | |
| Black | 103 | 4.9 | <10.7 | |
| Other | 61 | 2.9 | <18.0 | |
| Marital status | .10 | |||
| Married | 1004 | 48.1 | 5.5 | |
| Unmarried | 991 | 47.5 | >3.1 | |
| Unknown | 92 | 4.4 | <12.0 | |
| Income | .46 | |||
| <$33K | 272 | 13.0 | <4.0 | |
| $33 – <$40K | 253 | 12.1 | 4.7 | |
| $40K – <$50K | 416 | 19.9 | >4.8 | |
| $50K – <$63K | 469 | 22.5 | 3.6 | |
| ≥$63K | 677 | 32.4 | 5.5 | |
| Clinical characteristics | ||||
| Stage | <.001 | |||
| I | 1497 | 71.7 | >5.7 | |
| II | 590 | 28.3 | <1.9 | |
| Laterality | .85 | |||
| Right | 1035 | 49.6 | 4.7 | |
| Left | 1052 | 50.4 | 4.6 | |
| Hormone status | .02 | |||
| Negative | 235 | 11.3 | <4.7 | |
| Positive | 1769 | 84.8 | >4.2 | |
| Unknown | 83 | 4.0 | <13.3 | |
| Comorbid conditions | .42 | |||
| 0 | 980 | 47.0 | 5.0 | |
| 1–2 | 821 | 39.3 | >4.5 | |
| ≥3 | 286 | 13.7 | <3.8 | |
| Hospital characteristics | ||||
| Hospital brachytherapy use† | .60 | |||
| No | 1404 | 67.3 | 4.3 | |
| Yes | 379 | 18.2 | 5.5 | |
| Unknown | 304 | 14.6 | 4.9 | |
| Teaching hospital | .02 | |||
| No | 761 | 36.5 | 6.2 | |
| Yes | 1021 | 48.9 | 3.4 | |
| Unknown | 305 | 14.6 | 4.9 | |
| Total hospital beds | <.001 | |||
| Q1 (<216) | 441 | 21.1 | 2.7 | |
| Q2 (216 – 334) | 459 | 22.0 | 5.2 | |
| Q3 (335 – 442) | 433 | 20.8 | 8.8 | |
| Q4 (443 – 1161) | 449 | 21.5 | <2.4 | |
| Unknown | 305 | 14.6 | >3.9 | |
| Regional characteristics | ||||
| HRR-level two-year mammography rate | .047 | |||
| Q1 (52.4–58.1) | 502 | 24.1 | 5.4 | |
| Q2 (58.5–62.2) | 554 | 26.6 | 2.9 | |
| Q3 (62.2–65.4) | 506 | 24.3 | 6.3 | |
| Q4 (65.6–74.8) | 525 | 25.2 | 4.2 | |
| Surgeon characteristics | ||||
| Had an early-adopting alter | .003 | |||
| No | 1786 | 85.6 | 4.1 | |
| Yes | 301 | 14.4 | 8.0 | |
| Patient volume (in 2005–2006) (Mean, SD) | 13.5 | (11.9) | ||
| Number of peers in 2003–2004 (Mean, SD) | 2.4 | (1.6) | ||
| Number of peers’ BCS patients in 2003–2004 (Mean, SD) | 10.8 | (11.9) |
*
Exact percentages are not presented in some cells due to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ prohibition against presenting cells sizes <11
**
Chi-square test of the association between each covariate and receipt of brachytherapy
†
Defined as whether the hospital had at least one assigned patient who underwent brachytherapy in 2003–2004
HRR: Hospital referral region