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Women continue to choose mastectomy over equally effective conserving surgery. Breast cancer is a terrifying diagnosis that deserves rapid and aggressive treatment. But many studies have found that surgery that includes radiation and removal of the tumor while leaving the breast in place is just as good at getting rid of cancer as surgery that removes the entire breast. “However, a new study shows that a rising number of early stage breast cancer patients eligible for lumpectomy are undergoing mastectomy. The percentage of early stage breast cancer patients eligible for breast conservation surgery who underwent mastectomy rose from 34 percent in 1998 to 38 percent in 2011. The largest increases were among patients with lymph-node-negative, contained cancers–tumors that did not show evidence of spreading.” According to one author, “while we’ve known for a long time that survival from breast cancer is equivalent comparing lumpectomy with mastectomy, there are clearly other forces–such as aesthetics, genetics and anxiety related to future screening–that are also driving surgical decision-making, especially for younger women with breast cancer.” Others surmise more women may be opting for the procedures now that reconstruction options have become so advanced.
