Table 2

Changes over time in the quality indicators used for benchmarking in 2007









DKG/DGS requirement









QI No.
Quality indicator (QI)
Year of introduction
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
1st year
3rd year

1
Preoperative histological confirmation of diagnosis
2003
58%
71%
78%
84%
88%
90%a
90%a
2
Appropriate axillary dissection
2003
85%
85%
80%
83%
88%
85%
95%
     [ex-3]b
Complete tumour staging data
2003
85%
96%
98%
95%

> 95%
> 95%
3
Data on safety distance between tumour and resection margin
2007




91%
100%
100%
     [ex-4]b
HER-2/neu assessment
2005


94%
98%

> 95%
> 95%
4
Specimen radiography
2007




83%
> 95%
> 95%
5
Hormone receptor assessment
2003
92%
96%
96%
97%
98%
100%
100%
6
Appropriate endocrine therapy in hormone receptor-positive patients
2003
27%
82%
92%
94%
93%
70%
95%
7.1
Appropriate adjuvant and neoadjuvant chemotherapy
2003







     7.1a
during the current analysis period; age ≤ 70 years
2005


65%
75%
81%
70%
80%
     7.1b
during the current analysis period; no age limit
2003
32%
45%
55%
63%
80%
--
--
7.2
Use of appropriate standard regimens in chemotherapy
2005







     7.2a
during the current analysis period; age ≤ 70 years
2006



65%
72%
--
--
     7.2b
during the current analysis period; no age limit
2005


57%
60%
69%
--
--
8
Percentage of patients in clinical trials
2005


8%
7%
7%
10%
20%
9
Appropriate radiotherapy after breast-conserving therapy
2003
20%
46%
60%
70%
79%
100%c
100%c
10
Appropriate radiotherapy after mastectomy
2003
8%
26%
35%
47%
65%
100%c
100%c
11
Indication for breast-conserving therapy
2003







     11a
at any tumour stage
2003
64%
66%
64%
68%
70%
--
--
     11b
at T1
2005


79%
83%
85%
50%
70%
     11c
at T2
2006



60%
63%
--
--
     11d
at T3
2006



15%
13%
--
--
     11e
at T4
2006



15%
12%
--
--

a requirement for palpable tumours, 70% for nonpalpable tumours

b Square brackets and italics indicate QIs which were discontinued at the end of 2006

c number of radiation treatments to be recorded; exceptions require justification

-- no specified requirement.

Numbering and names, year of introduction, QI values for the 2003–2007 period (mean percentages across all participating institutions) and the required percentages for years 1 and 3 of DKG/DGS certification.

Brucker et al. BMC Cancer 2008 8:358   doi:10.1186/1471-2407-8-358