Rates of prophylactic mastectomy have tripled in past decade despite no survival benefit

(Brigham and Women's Hospital) The use of contralateral prophylactic mastectomy, the surgical removal of a breast unaffected by cancer as part of the course of treatment for breast cancer, has more than tripled from 2002 to 2012 despite evidence suggesting no survival benefit over breast conservation, according to a new study from Brigham and Women's Hospital published in Annals of Surgery on March 11, 2016.
Source: EurekAlert! - Cancer - Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: news