The Impact of the Introduction of the Breast Unit Model in a Northwestern Italian Region

Abstract

Breast cancer is the most common tumor in middle-aged and older women. In 2003, the European Parliament recommended to Member States that all women with breast cancer should be treated by a multidisciplinary team and that a network of certified breast centers be organized (the centers have been called Breast Units (BUs)). With the present study, we aim to explore the impact of the introduction of the BU organizational model in the Liguria region, Italy, through different outcome indicators. An explorative retrospective analysis was conducted through the period from 2013 to 2019 to assess the impact of the introduction of the BU model in our region. We identified two periods: before (2014–2015) and after (2017–2018) the introduction of this organizational model to assess its value impact through the definition of six measurable outcome indicators. Length of hospitalization, repeated specialist outpatient diagnostic procedures and the rate of subjects who started radiotherapy treatment within 60 days improved after the introduction of BUs. The passive health migration rate only improved significantly for one local health unit (LHU), while reintervention and diagnosis–surgery time did not show any enhancement after the introduction of the BU model. The BU model seems to provide an increase in several aspects of the healthcare offered to breast cancer patients in Liguria, specifically in those areas where a shared guideline could assist healthcare workers. Future research, such as pilot studies, are needed to assess the impact of the introduction of the BU model in our reality.