Approximately 50 percent of women with early stage breast cancer undergo mastectomy, even though research indicates that lumpectomy and other types of breast-conserving surgery, when followed by radiation, are just as safe for most of these patients. Underserved women and women living in certain regions of the country or using community hospitals are especially likely to undergo mastectomies, even when they are eligible for less radical surgeries. For many years, research has raised questions about whether breast cancer patients are fully informed about their surgical options; studies have shown that the likelihood of a woman undergoing a mastectomy is highly influenced by her physician's recommendations and by factors that appear to be unrelated to the patient's preferences or diagnosis. However, this issue has received relatively little attention from clinicians or patient advocates. The purpose of the proposed conference is to bring health care providers. researchers, and patient advocates together to develop strategies to improve patients' access to accurate information, so that women with early stage breast cancer receive research-based information that fully informs them of their surgical options. This conference is part of a new project of the National Center for Policy Research (CPR) for Women anal Families, designed to ensure that all breast cancer patients, regardless of their income, age, race, ethnicity, where they live, and where they receive medical care, are fully informed about the safety of their surgical options. The overall goal of this conference is to help ensure that patients have the information they need to make the surgical decisions that acre best for them.
