Simple numerical system for scoring the cosmetic effects of radiation and surgery post‐conservation therapy for breast cancer

摘要

AbstractTo improve the documentation of cosmetic outcome in women with breast cancer treated by conservative surgery and radiation, we developed a simple numerical scoring system. Cosmetic scores are based on the effects of surgery and radiation and also include a comparison of breast symmetry. The scoring system ranges from a minimum score of 2 to a maximum of 10. Between June 1978 and June 1992, 226 patients were treated at the University of Wisconsin by tumorectomy and breast irradiation. Of these, 209 patients were evaluable after a minimum period of 2 years. Blind tests of interobserver agreement gave a correlation coefficient of 0.74 between faculty and resident scores. Scores tended to be slightly lower for larger or node‐positive cancer, but they were not adversely affected by tumor location or by the type of prior chemotherapy. At 2, 5, and 10 years post‐treatment, mean cosmetic scores were 8.1, 7.3, and 6.2, while local recurrence rates were 2, 8, and 16, respectively. This numerical system for assessing breast cosmesis is easy to use and is more amenable to statistical analysis than qualitative descriptors such as “excellent, good, fair, or poor.” © Wiley