Breast cancer patients from Newfoundland and Labrador were more likely to have mastectomies than those in other provinces, a new study shows.
The research examined 57 840 Canadian women from 2007 to 2009 who underwent breast cancer surgery; many of those patients could undergo either mastectomy or breast-conserving surgery, called lumpectomy, which is usually followed by radiation therapy. Although survival rates between the surgeries have been shown to be equivalent, the use of mastectomy varied widely between provinces.
In Quebec, only 26% of women underwent mastectomy, while the same figure for Newfoundland and Labrador was 69%. The authors cannot explain all the variation, but note that patients living far from radiation facilities were more likely to chose mastectomy over breast-conserving surgery. They conclude that it’s important for women to be informed about their treatment options when it comes to breast cancer surgery.
Original research paper published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal – Open on June 17, 2014.
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