Uninformed breast cancer patients more apt to consider removing the other breast, too

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Uninformed breast cancer patients more apt to consider removing the other breast, too

By Megan Brooks NEW YORK (Reuters Health) â€" More than half of women newly diagnosed with breast cancer consider removal of the second, unaffected breast to prevent cancer spread, and according to a new survey, they tend to have more anxiety and less knowledge about breast cancer than women who don't consider CPM. “There is so much information about breast cancer that it’s easy for patients to get overwhelmed. Interventions that address patient anxiety and lack of knowledge are needed to facilitate more informed decision making for patients,” Dr. Katharine Yao, director of the breast surgical program at NorthShore University HealthSystem in Evanston, Illinois, said during a press briefing September 2. Previous research has shown that for women with early stage breast cancer who don't have high-risk genes or a family history of the disease, removing the healthy breast doesn't afford much of a survival benefit and may increase complications.

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