Regional variation in the surgical treatment of early breast cancer.

A questionnaire survey of consultant surgeons in England was undertaken to establish the preferred surgical management of early breast cancer. The Regional Health Authority in which each surgeon worked was recorded to document regional variation. The 14 Regional Health Authorities were divided into three geographical areas: north, central and south. The main finding was that proportionately more surgeons in the north would recommend mastectomy (P < 0.0001) rather than conservative surgery compared with those in the central and southern areas. The nature of the study does not allow explanations for such variation.