Los Angeles County women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer often immediately start thinking about their treatment options, and many times that include a surgical procedure. For some women, opting to have the lump removed is the best choice. However other San Dimas women feel that a double mastectomy is the safest option for them. However, according to a recent study released in the JAMA Surgery journal, a double mastectomy is not necessary in most situations. This may be welcome news to women, who find it daunting to make such as a difficult decision during an already-trying time.
What Facts Do Women Need to Know About The Study Results?
The study was performed at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center. The researchers who performed this study collected data from 1,447 women in Detroit and Los Angeles who had been recently diagnosed with breast cancer in one breast, but who had not been diagnosed with cancer in the other breast. The results found that 8 percent of women in the group opted for a double mastectomy procedure whereas 18 percent seriously considered having it performed.
Results of the study showed that of the women who opted to have a double mastectomy performed, nearly 70 percent did not necessarily need to have this operation. This means that 70 percent of the women who opted to have the double mastectomy performed did not have risk factors for cancer recurrence in the other breast. Risk factors that may require a double mastectomy include family history of breast and ovarian cancer, as well as testing positive for the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene. Women who do not have one or both of these risk factors generally do not have to have a double mastectomy performed.
Women should note that while more women are choosing the double mastectomy than in years past, it’s still not the most popular or common treatment option for breast cancer. It is important to understand that the double mastectomy is a more complicated surgical procedure, and can have more risks associated with it than a single breast removal or lumpectomy operation. Many women subsequently opt for reconstructive surgery, which also can increase complications and result in a lengthy recovery process.
It is understandable that women who have recently been diagnosed with breast cancer are scared, stressed and confused about their treatment options. If you feel that you have the signs and symptoms of breast cancer, and you want to know more about your own personal diagnosis, then the time is now to connect with an expert general surgeon. Your surgeon can help you understand your options as well as explain to you your personal risk factors. This caring, gentle, open and honest conversation will help you to make the best decision about your own treatment. Perhaps the double mastectomy is the choice for you, but maybe the results of this study will help you realize that you don’t necessarily need this procedure performed in order to beat cancer and live a fulfilling life.
