{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,6]],"date-time":"2026-06-06T05:00:37Z","timestamp":1780722037214,"version":"3.54.1"},"reference-count":41,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,2]],"date-time":"2026-06-02T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1780358400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"J &amp; W Murphy Foundation","award":["No Grant Number"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["No Grant Number"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Current Oncology"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Systematic neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) is recommended for triple-negative (TNBC) and HER2+ breast cancers when tumor size at diagnosis is \u22652 cm. This study aimed to determine the proportion of patients in Nova Scotia with non-metastatic, incident, \u22652 cm TNBC and HER2+ breast cancer who received guideline-concordant NAT, stratified by administrative zone. Methods: This retrospective analysis utilized data from the Nova Scotia Breast Screening Program. Adult patients (18\u201380 years) with an incident, non-metastatic, \u2265T2 breast cancer diagnosis between 2021 and 2023 were considered theoretically eligible for NAT, defined by a wait time of \u22654 months between core biopsy and surgery. Guideline-concordant care was confirmed through chart review and compared across health system administrative zones and over time. Results: Of the 291 women theoretically eligible for NAT, 67.0% received it. Significant differences in NAT receipt were observed across administrative zones (Central 73.1%, Eastern 72.9%, Northern 57.4%, Western 54.2%, p = 0.030). Conclusions: This study identifies meaningful regional disparities in NAT receipt for TNBC and HER2+ breast cancer in Nova Scotia. Targeted strategies to improve guideline concordance are warranted and may lead to better patient outcomes.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/curroncol33060332","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,3]],"date-time":"2026-06-03T00:50:28Z","timestamp":1780447828000},"page":"332","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Regional Variations in Guideline Concordance for Women with Triple-Negative and HER2+ Breast Cancer in Nova Scotia"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"33","author":[{"given":"Andrea","family":"Mayo","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Breast Health Research Unit, Izaak Walton Killam Health Centre, Halifax, NS B3K 6R8, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hanna","family":"Stewart","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Breast Health Research Unit, Izaak Walton Killam Health Centre, Halifax, NS B3K 6R8, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0007-6613-9485","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Tongtong","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Surgery, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 2Y9, Canada"},{"name":"General Surgery Research Collaborative, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Cameron","family":"Penny","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Surgery, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 2Y9, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rachel","family":"Hemsworth","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Breast Health Research Unit, Izaak Walton Killam Health Centre, Halifax, NS B3K 6R8, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ashley","family":"Drohan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Breast Health Research Unit, Izaak Walton Killam Health Centre, Halifax, NS B3K 6R8, Canada"},{"name":"Department of Surgery, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 2Y9, Canada"},{"name":"General Surgery Research Collaborative, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0506-0219","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Katerina","family":"Neumann","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Surgery, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 2Y9, Canada"},{"name":"General Surgery Research Collaborative, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Boris","family":"Gala-Lopez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Surgery, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 2Y9, Canada"},{"name":"General Surgery Research Collaborative, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Richard T.","family":"Spence","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Surgery, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 2Y9, Canada"},{"name":"General Surgery Research Collaborative, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9305-1709","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Gregory","family":"Knapp","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Breast Health Research Unit, Izaak Walton Killam Health Centre, Halifax, NS B3K 6R8, Canada"},{"name":"Department of Surgery, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 2Y9, Canada"},{"name":"General Surgery Research Collaborative, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,2]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"Canadian Cancer Society (2025, January 13). 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