Breast cancer surgery decisions difficult for many

	Tweet

Approximately 40 percent of women say they “feel uncomfortable” when asked to decide between breast-conserving surgery and radical mastectomy for breast cancer, according to a Canadian study.

Dr. Wally J. Temple and associates at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada, conducted a study involving 157 women diagnosed with breast cancer who were all candidates for breast-conserving surgery.

Nonetheless, only 71 percent ultimately expected to have breast-conserving surgery, while the other 29 percent expected a modified radical mastectomy.

The two main factors that influenced women’s treatment choices were her doctor’s advice and the possibility for a complete cure.

Approximately 60 percent of women were satisfied with the degree that they participated in decision-making. That means the decision-making process “made 40 percent of our patients uncomfortable,” Temple and colleagues write in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. “This might adversely affect some women’s satisfaction with care.”

“There is a gap between the women’s preferences and actual experiences for the provision of information and participation in treatment; and this gap seems to be worse for information than for participation,” the researchers conclude from their data.

Surgeons could profit from education to decrease bias in assisting women in making a decision, which should improve the number of women choosing breast-conserving surgery if they are candidates, the authors conclude.

SOURCE: Journal of Clinical Oncology, July 20, 2006.

RELATED STORIES:
Breast Cancer Survivors Call for More “Survivorship Care” from Primary Care Physicians   Moderate Red Wine Drinking May Help Cut Women’s Breast Cancer Risk   Fox Chase researchers uncover Achilles’ heel in aggressive breast tumors   Scientists Identify Gene in Breast Cancer Pathway   Landmine detection technology adapted to screen for breast cancer   Device for testing breath for the presence of metabolites associated with breast cancer   Decline in Breast Cancer: Not Just Because of Hormone Therapy   Study Links Nicotine with Breast Cancer Growth and Spread   Treatment of breast cancer in pregnancy   Study finds advances in breast cancer treatments   Discovery leads to rapid mouse ‘personalized trials’ in breast cancer   Heavy girls less likely to develop breast cancer later on   Drop in breast cancer incidence linked to hormone use, not mammograms   Noninvasive combination technique may reduce number of breast biopsies   Breast Cancer Tumors Grow Faster In Younger Women   Radiation After Mastectomy Improves Breast Cancer Survival   Master gene SRC-3 enables breast cancer growth, invasion   Early breast cancer screening may help some: study   New United States mammogram guidelines ignite debate   High fiber may lower breast cancer risk in offspring   Chemotherapy is as effective before breast cancer surgery as after   New Study Examines Scope of Online Breast Cancer Support Groups

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]