Quality Registry for Reconstruction After Breast Cancer for Women

Health & research

Aug 26

Who: Helse Bergen HF

What: Quality registry for reconstruction after breast cancer for women

Where: Bergen/Vestland

Project period: 2024

Web: Helse Bergen

About the project:

Annually approximately thousand women in the western part of Norway(Vestlandet) gets a diagnosis of breast cancer or early form of breast cancer (DCIS). These women get treatment using different surgical techniques, on different locations, by different surgeons. We know little about how these women fare after surgery. The cancer registry of Norway and the Norwegian cause of death Registry measures oncological outcome, but there is no systematic registration of complications, re-operations, oncological safety or patient satisfaction connected to different surgical techniques. As a consequence surgeons have limited information on outcomes using different techniques and materials on our patients – as an example we don’t know whether costly synthetic or biological mesh improve long term outcome. We don’t know whether our patients are satisfied with their cosmetic and functional results, nor how we compare to other hospitals.

Our aim is to establish a register for these parameters, to increase quality of treatment, to increase patient satisfaction and to have a basis for further research on this patient group. Establishing a register will ensure systematic registration of data for this patient group. Our patients have limited information on difference in expected outcome using different surgical techniques, having a register will let us amend this situation, and will help us improve our service. We are grateful for the funding by the Grieg foundation, and look forward to initiate the register.

About the organisation:

Helse Bergen / Haukeland University Hospital employ around 14,000 people whose mission is to provide the best possible care and treatment to our patients – every single day. Every year we treat almost 600,000 patients and train some 2 000 health workers. Department for breast- and endocrine surgery has approximately 12 surgeons, 7 nurses, and 4 secretaries, with a large outpatient group and a shared hospital ward located on Haukeland University Hospital. Each week we perform surgery on approximately 30-40- patients. Breast diagnostics are performed in cooperation with breast diagnostic center which is located on Haraldsplass hospital.