More women choosing double mastectomies

In a study of 4,969 American women who chose contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CMP), researchers report that the rate of preventive mastectomy in women with single-breast cancer rose 150% in six years although the actual number of women choosing double mastectomy is relatively small.


The lead author said such aggressive strategy may be unnecessary because the risk of cancer spread to other body sites is higher than the risk of getting cancer in the second breast. He emphasized that women may benefit from treating the known breast cancer first and thinking about other options later after their treatment is completed.

Source: "Increasing Use of Contralateral Prophylactic Mastectomy for Breast Cancer Patients: A Trend Toward More Aggressive Surgical Treatment". Journal of Clinical Oncology , 22 Oct 2007 (ahead of print)