Table 1:

Sociodemographic, clinical and tumour characteristics of patients with breast cancer who were or were not referred to a Breast Assessment Site affiliated with the Ontario Breast Screening Program

CharacteristicNo. (%) of patients*O-BAS v. non-O-BAS BivariateO-BAS v. non-O-BAS Multivariable
Non-O-BAS
n = 8862
O-BAS
n = 42 598
OR (95% CI)p valueOR (95% CI)p value
Screening status< 0.0001< 0.0001
Symptomatic5908 (66.7)22 199 (52.1)Ref.Ref.
Non-OBSP-screened1477 (16.7)8261 (19.4)1.49 (1.40 to 1.58)1.32 (1.23 to 1.41)
OBSP-screened1477 (16.7)12 138 (28.5)2.19 (2.06 to 2.33)1.68 (1.57 to 1.80)
Sociodemographic
Sex
 Female8750 (98.7)42 285 (99.3)Ref.Ref.
 Male112 (1.3)313 (0.7)0.58 (0.47 to 0.72)0.93 (0.73 to 1.19)
Age, yr, mean ± SD (OR per 10-yr increment)66 ± 14.663 ± 13.50.87 (0.85 to 0.88)0.88 (0.86 to 0.90)
Age, yr< 0.0001< 0.0001
 < 501328 (15.0)7244 (17.0)Ref.
 50–744833 (54.5)26 048 (61.1)0.99 (0.93 to 1.06)
 > 742701 (30.5)9306 (21.8)0.63 (0.59 to 0.68)
After-tax neighbourhood income quintile< 0.0001< 0.0001
 Highest1756 (19.9)9368 (22.2)Ref.Ref.
 Mid-high1640 (18.6)8235 (19.5)0.94 (0.88 to 1.01)0.91 (0.84 to 0.99)
 Middle1678 (19.1)8291 (19.7)0.93 (0.86 to 1.00)0.93 (0.85 to 1.00)
 Mid-low1797 (20.4)8539 (20.3)0.89 (0.83 to 0.96)0.88 (0.81 to 0.95)
 Lowest1933 (22.0)7695 (18.3)0.75 (0.70 to 0.80)0.77 (0.70 to 0.83)
Neighbourhood immigrant density0.0040.0002
 Least dense5221 (59.4)24 537 (58.1)Ref.Ref.
 Mid-dense2068 (23.5)10 661 (25.2)1.10 (1.04 to 1.16)1.09 (1.01 to 1.17)
 Most dense1497 (17.0)7061 (16.7)1.00 (0.94 to 1.07)0.91 (0.83 to 1.00)
Rurality
 Urban7479 (84.9)37 789 (89.7)Ref.Ref.
 Rural1326 (15.1)4351 (10.3)0.65 (0.61 to 0.69)0.65 (0.59 to 0.71)
Distance to closest O-BAS, km, mean ± SD (OR per 100-km increment)§15.7 ± 21.611.9 ± 19.20.44 (0.40 to 0.49)0.36 (0.31 to 0.42)
Clinical
Charlson Comorbidity Index< 0.00010.0002
 Missing3011 (34.0)16 228 (38.1)1.12 (1.06 to 1.18)1.04 (0.98 to 1.10)
 04318 (48.7)20 825 (48.9)Ref.Ref.
 1935 (10.6)3665 (8.6)0.81 (0.75 to 0.88)0.89 (0.82 to 0.97)
 2316 (3.6)1088 (2.6)0.71 (0.63 to 0.81)0.88 (0.76 to 1.01)
 ≥ 3282 (3.2)792 (1.9)0.58 (0.51 to 0.67)0.78 (0.66 to 0.91)
Previous breast cancer relative to diagnosis, yr< 0.00010.0005
 Never8074 (91.1)39 541 (92.8)Ref.Ref.
 ≤ 572 (0.8)250 (0.6)0.71 (0.55 to 0.92)1.06 (0.79 to 1.41)
 5–10239 (2.7)852 (2.0)0.73 (0.63 to 0.84)1.21 (1.03 to 1.43)
 ≥ 10477 (5.4)1955 (4.6)0.84 (0.76 to 0.93)1.25 (1.11 to 1.41)
Previous other cancer relative to diagnosis, yr< 0.00010.15
 Never8180 (92.3)39 563 (92.9)Ref.Ref.
 ≤ 5295 (3.3)1172 (2.8)0.82 (0.72 to 0.94)1.01 (0.87 to 1.17)
 5–10136 (1.5)686 (1.6)1.04 (0.87 to 1.26)1.22 (1.00 to 1.50)
 ≥ 10251 (2.8)1177 (2.8)0.97 (0.84 to 1.11)1.11 (0.95 to 1.29)
Cancer
Laterality0.470.03
 Right4288 (48.4)20 701 (48.7)Ref.Ref.
 Left4329 (49.9)21 516 (50.6)1.03 (0.98 to 1.08)1.02 (0.97 to 1.08)
 Bilateral65 (0.7)319 (0.7)1.02 (0.78 to 1.33)1.47 (1.09 to 1.98)
Cancer stage< 0.0001< 0.0001
 028 (0.3)171 (0.4)0.91 (0.61 to 1.36)1.57 (1.02 to 2.42)
 12755 (31.7)18 463 (44.1)Ref.Ref.
 22861 (32.9)15 707 (37.5)0.82 (0.77 to 0.87)0.91 (0.85 to 0.97)
 31134 (13.0)5023 (12.0)0.66 (0.61 to 0.71)0.75 (0.69 to 0.82)
 41085 (12.5)1343 (3.2)0.19 (0.17 to 0.20)0.23 (0.21 to 0.26)
 Unknown832 (9.6)1167 (2.8)0.21 (0.19 to 0.23)0.37 (0.32 to 0.42)
Histology< 0.0001< 0.0001
 Ductal6254 (70.6)32 661 (76.7)Ref.Ref.
 Lobular800 (9.0)3689 (8.7)0.88 (0.81 to 0.96)1.00 (0.92 to 1.10)
 Ductal and lobular298 (3.4)1894 (4.4)1.21 (1.07 to 1.38)1.20 (1.05 to 1.38)
 Adenocarcinoma366 (4.1)930 (2.2)0.49 (0.43 to 0.55)0.73 (0.62 to 0.84)
 Mucinous157 (1.8)797 (1.9)0.97 (0.82 to 1.16)1.02 (0.84 to 1.23)
 Other987 (11.1)2627 (6.2)0.51 (0.47 to 0.55)0.89 (0.81 to 0.98)
Hormone receptor profile0.08< 0.0001
 ER−, PR−, HER2−679 (7.7)3814 (9.0)Ref.Ref.
 ER−, PR−, HER2+325 (3.7)1807 (4.2)0.99 (0.86 to 1.14)1.02 (0.88 to 1.20)
 ER−, PR+, HER2−36 (0.4)182 (0.4)0.90 (0.62 to 1.30)1.10 (0.75 to 1.64)
 ER−, PR+, HER2+20 (0.2)69 (0.2)0.61 (0.37 to 1.02)0.91 (0.53 to 1.57)
 ER+, PR−, HER2−561 (6.3)2751 (6.5)0.87 (0.77 to 0.99)0.87 (0.76 to 0.99)
 ER+, PR−, HER2+204 (2.3)1036 (2.4)0.90 (0.76 to 1.07)0.94 (0.78 to 1.13)
 ER+, PR+, HER2−4379 (49.4)24 116 (56.6)0.98 (0.90 to 1.07)0.90 (0.82 to 0.99)
 ER+, PR+, HER2+473 (5.3)2773 (6.5)1.04 (0.92 to 1.19)0.97 (0.85 to 1.11)
 Missing2185 (24.7)6050 (14.2)0.49 (0.45 to 0.54)0.66 (0.59 to 0.74)
Topography< 0.0001< 0.0001
 Upper–outer quadrant2754 (31.1)15 672 (36.8)Ref.Ref.
 Breast NOS1452 (16.4)3411 (8.0)0.41 (0.38 to 0.44)0.70 (0.64 to 0.76)
 Overlapping lesion1618 (18.3)7720 (18.1)0.84 (0.78 to 0.90)0.93 (0.87 to 1.00)
 Upper–inner quadrant1007 (11.4)5806 (13.6)1.01 (0.94 to 1.10)0.98 (0.90 to 1.07)
 Lower–outer quadrant721 (8.1)4056 (9.5)0.99 (0.90 to 1.08)1.00 (0.91 to 1.10)
 Central portion503 (5.7)2205 (5.2)0.77 (0.69 to 0.86)0.91 (0.81 to 1.02)
 Lower–inner quadrant470 (5.3)2558 (6.0)0.96 (0.86 to 1.06)0.98 (0.87 to 1.10)
 Nipple236 (2.7)922 (2.2)0.69 (0.59 to 0.80)0.77 (0.66 to 0.91)
 Axillary tail101 (1.1)248 (0.6)0.43 (0.34 to 0.55)0.56 (0.43 to 0.72)
Other
Year of diagnosis (row percentages provided)0.010.04
 20131767 (19.9)8037 (18.9)Ref.Ref.
 20141748 (19.7)8447 (19.8)1.06 (0.99 to 1.14)1.03 (0.95 to 1.11)
 20151715 (19.4)8518 (20.0)1.09 (1.02 to 1.18)1.03 (0.96 to 1.12)
 20161882 (21.2)8695 (20.4)1.02 (0.95 to 1.09)0.98 (0.90 to 1.06)
 20171750 (19.7)8901 (20.9)1.12 (1.04 to 1.20)1.10 (1.02 to 1.19)
  • Note: CI = confidence interval, ER = estrogen receptor, HER2 = human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, NOS = not otherwise specified, O-BAS = OBSP-affiliated breast assessment site, OBSP = Ontario Breast Screening Program, OR = odds ratio, PR = progesterone receptor, Ref. = reference category, SD = standard deviation.

  • * Unless indicated otherwise.

  • n = 49 420; adjusted for screening status, age, neighbourhood income quintile, neighbourhood immigrant density, rurality, distance to the closest O-BAS, Charlson Comorbidity Index, previous breast cancer, previous other cancer, laterality, cancer stage, hormone receptor profile, topography, year of diagnosis and Local Health Integration Network.

  • Adapted from Statistics Canada Postal Code Conversion File and Postal Code Conversion File Plus (June 2017), which is based on data licensed from Canada Post Corporation. (16) We used the patient’s postal code at diagnosis.

  • § Odds ratio reflects the odds of diagnosis in an O-BAS for every 100-km increase in Euclidean distance to the patient’s closest O-BAS. We used the patient’s postal code at diagnosis.