Large National Study Identifies Mastectomy Trend in Early Stage Disease

The retrospective study, published in JAMA Surgery, could not necessarily point to the underlying reason for this treatment choice.

Breast cancer

patients eligible for breast conservation surgery (BCS) are opting for mastectomy, breast reconstruction, and bilateral mastectomy in increasing numbers, US researchers have shown in one of the largest studies on the topic to date.

Confirming the results of several recent investigations, they found that the greatest increases in mastectomy rates during the past 2 decades were seen in women with node-negative and in situ tumors.

JAMA Surgery.

The study was published online on November 19 in

Medscape Medical News.

"I do think it's important for patients and providers to be aware of this," lead researcher Kristy L. Kummerow, MD, of Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, told

Link to the complete article on Medscape: http://bit.ly/1yYhzQz