Table 2:

Sociodemographic, clinical and cancer characteristics of patients whose breast cancer was detected by screening or by symptoms

CharacteristicNo. (%) of patientsOR (95% CI)*p value*
OBSP-screened
n = 13 615
Non-OBSP-screened
n = 9738
Symptomatic
n = 28 107
OBSP-screened v. symptomaticNon-OBSP-screened v. symptomatic
O-BAS< 0.0001
 Yes12138 (89.2)8261 (84.8)22199 (79.0)1.74 (1.62 to 1.86)1.32 (1.23 to 1.41)
 No1477 (10.8)1477 (15.2)5908 (21.0)Ref.Ref.
Sociodemographic
Sex< 0.0001
 Female13615 (100.0)9714 (99.8)27706 (98.6)NA0.18 (0.12 to 0.28)
 Male0 (0.0)24 (0.3)401 (1.4)NARef.
Age, yr, mean ± SD (OR per 10-yr increment)63.7 ± 8.062.1 ± 12.263.4 ± 16.11.09 (0.07 to 1.11)0.96 (0.94 to 0.98)< 0.0001
Neighbourhood income quintile< 0.0001
 Highest3042 (22.6)2243 (23.3)5839 (21.0)Ref.Ref.
 Mid-high2727 (20.3)1943 (20.2)5205 (18.7)1.03 (0.96 to 1.11)0.99 (0.92 to 1.06)
 Middle2707 (20.1)1870 (19.4)5392 (19.4)1.02 (0.95 to 1.10)0.95 (0.88 to 1.03)
 Mid to low2703 (20.1)1913 (19.9)5720 (20.5)0.97 (0.90 to 1.04)0.94 (0.87 to 1.02)
 Lowest2275 (16.9)1667 (17.3)5686 (20.4)0.84 (0.78 to 0.91)0.85 (0.78 to 0.92)
Neighbourhood immigrant density0.07
 Least dense8368 (61.9)5068 (52.4)16322 (58.6)Ref.Ref.
 Mid-dense3124 (23.1)2704 (28.0)6901 (24.8)0.95 (0.89 to 1.01)1.04 (0.98 to 1.11)
 Most dense2018 (14.9)1897 (19.6)4643 (16.7)1.01 (0.93 to 1.10)1.09 (1.00 to 1.19)
Rurality0.01
 Urban11765 (87.4)8790 (91.2)24713 (88.7)Ref.Ref.
 Rural1693 (12.6)848 (8.8)3136 (11.3)1.14 (1.05 to 1.24)1,04 (0.94 to 1.15)
Distance to closest O-BAS, km, mean ± SD (OR per 100-km increment)13.2 ± 20.210.8 ± 14.912.8 ± 20.80.96 (0.83 to 1.11)0.87 (0.72 to 1.05)0.32
Clinical
Charlson Comorbidity Index< 0.0001
 Missing5328 (39.1)3839 (39.4)10072 (35.8)1.08 (1.03 to 1.13)1.04 (0.99 to 1.10)
 06738 (49.5)4784 (49.1)13 621 (48.5)Ref.Ref.
 11095 (8.0)778 (8.0)2727 (9.7)0.83 (0.76 to 0.91)0.91 (0.83 to 0.99)
 2277 (2.0)185 (1.9)942 (3.4)0.65 (0.56 to 0.76)0.65 (0.55 to 0.76)
 ≥ 3177 (1.3)152 (1.6)745 (2.7)0.52 (0.43 to 0.63)0.71 (0.59 to 0.86)
Previous breast cancer relative to diagnosis, yr< 0.0001
 Never13576 (99.7)8693 (89.3)25346 (90.2)Ref.Ref.
 ≤ 5< 683 (0.9)235 (0.8)0.03 (0.01 to 0.08)0.90 (0.69 to 1.18)
 5–1017 (0.1)293 (3.0)785 (2.8)0.03 (0.02 to 0.05)1.01 (0.87 to 1.17)
 ≥ 1022 (0.2)669 (6.9)1741 (6.2)0.02 (0.01 to 0.03)1.05 (0.95 to 1.16)
Previous other cancer relative to diagnosis, yr< 0.0001
 Never12718 (93.4)9096 (93.4)25929 (92.3)Ref.Ref.
 ≤ 5313 (2.3)269 (2.8)885 (3.1)0.63 (0.54 to 0.72)0.96 (0.83 to 1.11)
 5–10221 (1.6)149 (1.5)452 (1.6)0.87 (0.73 to 1.04)1.03 (0.85 to 1.25)
 ≥ 10363 (2.7)224 (2.3)841 (3.0)0.71 (0.63 to 0.82)0.81 (0.69 to 0.95)
Cancer
Laterality0.007
 Right6660 (48.9)4735 (48.8)13594 (48.7)Ref.Ref.
 Left6881 (50.6)4909 (50.6)14055 (50.4)0.99 (0.95 to 1.04)1.00 (0.95 to 1.05)
 Bilateral71 (0.5)61 (0.6)252 (0.9)0.59 (0.43 to 0.79)0.75 (0.56 to 1.01)
Cancer stage< 0.0001
 032 (0.2)62 (0.6)105 (0.4)0.52 (0.34 to 0.79)0.89 (0.64 to 1.25)
 18523 (63.5)4529 (47.4)8166 (29.6)Ref.Ref.
 23859 (28.7)3235 (33.8)11474 (41.6)0.31 (0.29 to 0.32)0.50 (0.47 to 0.53)
 3731 (5.4)1057 (11.1)4369 (15.8)0.16 (0.14 to 0.17)0.42 (0.39 to 0.46)
 497 (0.7)269 (2.8)2062 (7.5)0.06 (0.05 to 0.07)0.25 (0.22 to 0.29)
 Unknown185 (1.4)405 (4.2)1409 (5.1)0.27 (0.22 to 0.32)0.55 (0.48 to 0.64)
Histology< 0.0001
 Ductal10837 (79.6)7124 (73.2)20954 (74.6)Ref.Ref.
 Lobular1213 (8.9)926 (9.5)2350 (8.4)1.16 (1.07 to 1.26)1.28 (1.18 to 1.40)
 Ductal and lobular604 (4.4)441 (4.5)1147 (4.1)1.06 (0.95 to 1.19)1.16 (1.03 to 1.30)
 Adenocarcinoma292 (2.1)264 (2.7)740 (2.6)1.01 (0.86 to 1.18)1.22 (1.04 to 1.43)
 Mucinous224 (1.6)188 (1.9)542 (1.9)0.56 (0.47 to 0.66)0.90 (0.76 to 1.08)
 Other445 (3.3)795 (8.2)2374 (8.4)0.59 (0.53 to 0.67)1.18 (1.07 to 1.30)
Hormone receptor profile< 0.0001
 ER−, PR−, HER2−895 (6.6)822 (8.4)2776 (9.9)Ref.Ref.
 ER−, PR−, HER2+402 (3.0)394 (4.0)1336 (4.8)0.98 (0.85 to 1.13)1.02 (0.88 to 1.17)
 ER−, PR+, HER2−29 (0.2)45 (0.5)144 (0.5)0.63 (0.41 to 0.98)1.08 (0.76 to 1.54)
 ER−, PR+, HER2+11 (0.1)15 (0.2)63 (0.2)0.78 (0.40 to 1.53)0.98 (0.55 to 1.75)
 ER+, PR−, HER2−923 (6.8)625 (6.4)1764 (6.3)1.47 (1.30 to 1.66)1.14 (1.01 to 1.29)
 ER+, PR−, HER2+274 (2.0)222 (2.3)744 (2.6)1.16 (0.98 to 1.37)1.03 (0.86 to 1.22)
 ER+, PR+, HER2−8736 (64.2)5347 (54.9)14412 (51.3)1.45 (1.33 to 1.59)1.11 (1.02 to 1.21)
 ER+, PR+, HER+742 (5.4)575 (5.9)1929 (6.9)1.15 (1.02 to 1.30)1.00 (0.88 to 1.14)
 Missing1603 (11.8)1693 (17.4)4939 (17.6)1.18 (1.05 to 1.31)1.16 (1.04 to 1.29)
Topography< 0.0001
 Upper–outer quadrant5462 (40.1)3497 (35.9)9467 (33.7)Ref.Ref.
 Overlapping lesion2578 (18.9)1742 (17.9)5018 (17.9)0.92 (0.86 to 0.98)0.97 (0.91 to 1.04)
 Breast NOS811 (6.0)876 (9.0)3176 (11.3)0.63 (0.57 to 0.69)0.85 (0.77 to 0.93)
 Lower–outer quadrant1227 (9.0)948 (9.7)2602 (9.3)0.82 (0.75 to 0.89)0.99 (0.90 to 1.08)
 Upper–inner quadrant1986 (14.6)1260 (12.9)3567 (12.7)0.85 (0.79 to 0.91)0.91 (0.84 to 0.98)
 Lower–inner quadrant820 (6.0)578 (5.9)1630 (5.8)0.84 (0.76 to 0.93)0.93 (0.84 to 1.04)
 Central portion477 (3.5)539 (5.5)1692 (6.0)0.63 (0.56 to 0.71)1.00 (0.90 to 1.12)
 Nipple202 (1.5)233 (2.4)723 (2.6)0.58 (0.49 to 0.69)0.88 (0.75 to 1.04)
 Axillary tail52 (0.4)65 (0.7)232 (0.8)0.55 (0.39 to 0.76)0.87 (0.65 to 1.16)
Other
Year of diagnosis (row percentages provided)< 0.0001
 20132248 (16.5)1877 (19.3)5679 (20.2)Ref.Ref.
 20142625 (19.3)2007 (20.6)5563 (19.8)1.18 (1.10 to 1.27)1.09 (1.01 to 1.18)
 20152756 (20.2)1908 (19.6)5569 (19.8)1.25 (1.16 to 1.35)1.03 (0.96 to 1.12)
 20162915 (21.4)1983 (20.4)5679 (20.2)1.31 (1.22 to 1.41)1.06 (0.98 to 1.15)
 20173071 (22.6)1963 (20.2)5617 (20.0)1.42 (1.32 to 1.53)1.06 (0.98 to 1.15)
  • Note: CI = confidence interval, ER = estrogen receptor, HER2 = human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, NA = not applicable, 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.

  • * n = 49 420; findings derived from a multinomial logistic regression adjusted for all variables in the table and Local Health Information Network. The p value is from a single multinomial multivariable model, representing the overall difference between the 3 groups (symptomatic v. OBSP-screened v. non-OBSP-screened), with the symptomatic group as the reference.

  • 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 ratios reflect 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.