Breast Conserving Therapy the Likely Option

Results of a study into the treatment of breast cancer has shown the majority of women with early stage breast carcinoma choose breast-conserving therapy (BCT).

Dr. Valerie L. Staradub and colleagues from Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago report the findings of the study in the September 15th issue of the journal Cancer.

The study involved identifying the therapy options of 578 women with ductal carcinoma in situ of clinical stage one or two breast carcinoma who were eligible for BCT, mastectomy alone, or mastectomy with immediate reconstruction.

After being educated about treatment options including the lack of survival differences between the options, 85.2% of women chose BCT, 9.2% chose mastectomy and 5.6% chose mastectomy with immediate reconstruction. Women who chose mastectomy were generally older, have stage two cancer and a history of prior breast biopsy.

The investigators state that “educational messages to patients should emphasize the lack of importance of these factors in treatment selection”.

Dr. Staradub and colleagues say these findings confirm that patient preferences for breast cancer treatment vary, “emphasizing the need to address the spectrum of treatment options with patients”.

(Source: Reuters Health)