Quality of survival among patients who have had radical mastectomy

In cooperation with the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons, the Department of Clinical Statistics of the Memorial Hospital for Cancer and Allied Diseases has required information on the quality of survival from all cancer patients. This report analyzes the quality of survival among patients under 65 years of age who have had a radical mastectomy. The reference population consisted of 5,472 Caucasian women with primary operable breast cancer who were initially treated at Memorial Hospital during 1949‐1962. A sample of 826 patients was then derived by randomly reviewing the patients who were listed on the cancer registry's monthly follow‐up sheets. In addition, patients were systematically surveyed from the list of scheduled visits to the Memorial Hospital breast clinic. In the study sample, 84% of the surviving patients at 5 years had resumed their preoperative activities. The 5‐year performance status was significantly inferior in those patients who presented with regional disease. However, at 10 and 15 years, among the surviving patients, the quality of survival did not vary significantly with the stage of disease.