Trends in adherence to NCCN guidelines for breast conserving therapy in women with Stage I and II breast cancer: Analysis of the 1998-2008 National Cancer Data Base.

Objective: To examine temporal trends in guideline adherence for breast cancer local therapy, by race/ethnicity, socioeconomic and insurance status.

Background: Treatment guidelines recommend breast conserving therapy (BCT) for women with small cancers, but have been unevenly applied. A better understanding of time-trends in guideline adherence may point to interventions for correction.