XXXX Characteristics and Survival Differences between Maori, Pacific and other New Zealand @entity1 Included in the Quality Audit Program of Breast Surgeons of Australia and New Zealand.

@entity5 @entity1 @entity0 @entity1350
BACKGROUND: The Quality Audit (BQA) program of the Breast Surgeons of Australia and New Zealand (NZ) collects data on early female @entity0 and its treatment. BQA data covered approximately half all early @entity0 diagnosed in NZ during roll-out of the BQA program in 1998-2010. Coverage increased progressively to about 80% by 2008. This is the biggest NZ @entity0 database outside the NZ Cancer Registry and it includes @entity5 and clinical management data not collected by the Registry. We used these BQA data to compare socio-demographic and @entity5 characteristics and survivals by ethnicity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: BQA data for 1998-2010 diagnoses were linked to NZ death records using the National Health Index (NHI) for linking. Live cases were followed up to December 31st 2010. Socio-demographic and invasive @entity5 characteristics and disease-specific survivals were compared by ethnicity. RESULTS: Five-year survivals were 87% for Maori, 84% for Pacific, 91% for other NZ cases and 90% overall. This compared with the 86% survival reported for all female breast cases covered by the NZ Cancer Registry which also included more advanced stages. Patterns of survival by clinical risk factors accorded with patterns expected from the scientific literature. Compared with Other cases, Maori and Pacific @entity1 were younger, came from more deprived areas, and had @entity5 with more ductal and fewer lobular histology types. Their @entity5 were also less likely to have a triple negative phenotype. More of the Pacific @entity1 had @entity1350 . Maori @entity1 were more likely to reside in areas more remote from regional @entity5 centres, whereas Pacific @entity1 generally lived closer to these centres than Other NZ cases. CONCLUSIONS: NZ BQA data indicate previously unreported differences in @entity0 biology by ethnicity. Maori and Pacific @entity1 had @entity0 survival compared with Other NZ @entity1 , after adjusting for socio-demographic and @entity5 characteristics. The potential contributions to survival differences of variations in service access, timeliness and quality of care, need to be examined, along with effects of co- morbidity and biological factors.
