Publications by authors named "C Holcombe"
Background: Oncoplastic breast-conserving surgery may be a better option than mastectomy, but high-quality comparative evidence is lacking. The aim of the ANTHEM study (ISRCTN18238549) was to explore clinical and patient-reported outcomes in a multicentre cohort of women offered oncoplastic breast-conserving surgery as an alternative to mastectomy with or without immediate breast reconstruction.
Methods: Women with invasive/pre-invasive breast cancer who were offered oncoplastic breast-conserving surgery with volume replacement or displacement techniques to avoid mastectomy were recruited prospectively.
Background: Oncoplastic breast-conserving surgery may allow women with early breast cancer to avoid a mastectomy, but many women undergo more extensive surgery, even when breast-conserving options are offered. The aim of the ANTHEM qualitative study was to explore factors influencing women's surgical decision-making for and against oncoplastic breast-conserving surgery.
Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of women who had received either oncoplastic breast-conserving surgery or a mastectomy with or without immediate breast reconstruction to explore their rationale for procedure choice.
Article Synopsis
- The study looks at two treatment options for early-stage breast cancer: breast-conserving surgery with radiation and mastectomy (removing the whole breast), to see which is better for survival.
- Researchers examined a lot of studies from 2000 to 2023 to find evidence on which method helps patients live longer.
- They found that breast-conserving surgery with radiation might be better for survival, with more evidence supporting this option than the older research from the 70s and 80s.
Background: Breast pain accounts for 20-40% of new referrals to breast units in the UK and these patients have a very low risk of breast cancer. Patients have previously been assessed in resource-intensive, cancer-exclusion, one stop clinics, which are now failing to meet government targets due to excessive demand. UK Breast units are increasingly piloting Breast Pain-only Pathways (BPP) to assess these patients, and there is no consensus for the optimal pathway.
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