Are data from general practices suitable for survival analyses in the field of breast cancer? A retrospective study conducted in the United Kingdom, France and Germany

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to investigate the suitability of data obtained from general practices in the UK, France, and Germany for survival analyses in the field of breast cancer (BC). This study included women diagnosed with BC between 2004 and 2008 in 416, 322 and 210 general practices in the UK (n=4,085), France (n=1,198) and Germany (n=2,934), respectively. The outcomes of the study were the mean duration of follow-up in years and the proportion of participants followed for at least 5 years. The mean duration of follow-up was 7.5-9.6 years in the UK, 7.4-8.8 years in France and 6.3-8.5 years in Germany. The proportion of patients followed for at least 5 years was 80-91% in the UK, 68-78% in France, and 55-76% in Germany. The data obtained in general practices in the UK appeared to be more suitable for survival analyses in the field of BC when compared with those obtained in France and Germany.