Results of treatment of female breast cancer in the Cambridge area 1960-71.

The results of treatment of female breast cancer in the Cambridge area during the period of 1960-71 are presented and compared with an earlier series treated in the period of 1947-50. It is estimated that about 29% of the patients treated in the later period are cured, in the sense that they have a life expectancy similar to that of the normal population, compared with just under 20% in the earlier period, but this improvement is mainly due to an increased proportion of Stage I cases in the latter period. The percentage cured is discussed in relation to the ratio of deaths to registrations in the East Anglian Region and it is suggested that under-registration of deaths from cancer of the breast may occur.