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Journal of Public Health Advance Access originally published online on March 4, 2005
Journal of Public Health 2005 27(2):171-175; doi:10.1093/pubmed/fdi003
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© The Author 2005, Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Faculty of Public Health. All rights reserved.

Breast cancer services – a population-based study of service reorganization



Pauline Monaghan, Statistician

Liam Murray, Senior Lecturer
Northern Ireland Cancer Registry, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Queen’s University, Belfast BT12 6BJ, UK


Michael Donnelly, Reader

Peter McCarron, Senior Lecturer
Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Queen’s University, Belfast BT12 6BJ, UK


Roy Spence, Consultant Surgeon
Breast Surgery Unit, Belfast City Hospital, Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7AB, UK


Anna Gavin, Director of Northern Ireland Cancer Registry
Northern Ireland Cancer Registry, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Queen’s University, Belfast BT12 6BJ, UK

Address correspondence to P. Monaghan, Northern Ireland Cancer Registry, Mulhouse building, Grosvenor Road, Belfast BT12 6BJ, UK E-mail: p.monaghan{at}qub.ac.uk

Background The Calman-Hine Report in England and Wales and the Campbell Report in Northern Ireland initiated a major reorganization of cancer services with the aim of improving the provision and delivery of care to cancer patients. In this paper, breast cancer patients diagnosed in 1996 and those diagnosed in 2001 are compared in order to examine the extent of service change in Northern Ireland.

Methods Patients living in Northern Ireland with invasive breast cancer diagnosed in either 1996 or 2001 were identified from the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry database. Information relating to the delivery of cancer care to these patients was collected by retrospective review of their case notes.

Results Breast cancer surgery was performed in fewer hospitals (13 versus 21) by fewer surgeons (19 versus 40) with 98 per cent of patients operated on by designated breast surgeons in 2001. Clinically relevant axillary node excision increased with 765 (87 per cent) patients having six or more nodes excised in 2001 compared to 515 (67 per cent) in 1996 (p < 0.001). Recording of oestrogen receptor (ER) status improved from 23 per cent in 1996 to 91 per cent in 2001 (p < 0.001) and 81 per cent of patients received hormone therapy appropriate to their ER status in 2001 compared with 6 per cent in 1996 (p < 0.001). Communication between hospitals and patients and their GPs also improved.

Conclusion A significant change in service provision and delivery has occurred in Northern Ireland in line with the recommendations of the Campbell report. Further work is underway to ascertain the extent to which these changes may have impacted on patient outcomes.

Keywords: breast cancer, cancer services, specialization, service reorganization


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