Quality of Life Not Notably Better for Women Choosing Double Mastectomy

This study supports what has concerned many of us -- that women are not benefiting as greatly from CPM as they expect they will,” Hwang said. “Unless a woman has a gene mutation that places her at significantly increased risk of a new cancer in the other breast, CPM doesn’t prolong life and our study shows that it doesn’t make for a notably better quality of life.”  Hwang said it’s important for women to have a clearer understanding of the risks and benefits of the choices they are facing.  “The key to having long term satisfaction with treatment decisions is to review all the options and recognize the tradeoffs,” Hwang said. “We need to continue to work hard to communicate these tradeoffs accurately and effectively with our patients.” In addition to Hwang, study authors from Duke include Tracie D. Locklear, Christel N. Rushing, Greg Samsa, Amy P. Abernethy and Terry Hyslop, along with Dunya M. Atisha of the University of South Florida.  The Plastic Surgery Foundation provided study support.  ###          
Source: DukeHealth.org: Duke Health Features - Category: Pediatrics Tags: Duke Medicine Source Type: news