Sunday, September 6, 2015

More men with breast cancer opt for double mastectomies

Jemal et al reported in JAMA Surg that the percentage of men with breast cancer had both the affected and the unaffected breast removed in a double mastectomy had increased.
The data were from a nationwide population-based cancer database, the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries.  The data indicated that the percentage of contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM) in 6,332 men nearly doubled to 5.6 percent in 2010-2011 from 3 percent in period 2004-2005 in the United States.

Previous studies have reported marked increases in the rates of contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM) among US women who received a diagnosis of unilateral invasive breast cancer, and that this increase was particularly pronounced among younger women.

Rates of CPM among women vary depending on the population studied.  National statistics show that the percentage of women with unilateral invasive breast cancer undergoing a CPM increased from approximately 2.2% in 1998 to 11% in 2011.  This increase has occurred despite the lack of evidence for a survival benefit from bilateral surgery, in addition to the complications and costs associated with CPM. 

The researchers found that the number of males who received a diagnosis of unilateral invasive breast cancer patients and underwent CPM nearly doubled from 3 to 5.6 percent.
JAMA Surg. Sept 02, 2015.2657

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