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Patients' decision-making in a UK specialist centre with high mastectomy rates

journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-07, 16:02 authored by Rachel S. Ballinger, Karl Fortes Mayer, Gill Lawrence, Lesley FallowfieldLesley Fallowfield
A national audit identified one breast cancer unit as having the highest mastectomy rate in the UK: 50% compared to a national average of 14% for cancers <15mm in diameter. This anomaly needed investigation. A questionnaire was sent within 2 years of their surgery to 189 breast cancer patients probing perceived surgical choice, factors in decision-making and usefulness of information. One hundred thirty-one (69%) replied, of these 97 (74%) felt they had choice of surgery. Of these, the most important factor was minimising worry about recurrence. However, only 16% knew that recurrence rates were different between types of surgery. Sixty-one percent felt their healthcare professionals had surgical preferences for them, believed that clinical issues determined these preferences, but still knew the choice was theirs. The extent to which surgical choice is offered and patients are made aware that it is their choice, may account for the high mastectomy rate in this unit.

History

Publication status

  • Published

Journal

Breast

ISSN

0960-9776

Publisher

Elsevier

Issue

6

Volume

17

Page range

574-579

Department affiliated with

  • Sussex Health Outcomes Research & Education in Cancer (SHORE-C) Publications

Notes

Rachel Ballinger is the corresponding author.

Full text available

  • No

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2011-08-26

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