Having both breasts removed improves survival rates for young women with early stage hormone-negative breast cancer, according to a study presented at the 2008 Breast Cancer Symposium in Washington DC. And the reduction was significant—a 31 percent drop in mortality rates. Researchers at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston studied records of more than 80,000 breast cancer patients diagnosed from January 1998 through December 2003.
Women 18-49 with stage I-II breast cancer benefited from contralateral prophylactic mastectomy—or removing both the affected breast and the opposite—or contralateral—one. Older patients, those with stage III disease, or with hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer, saw no significant survival benefits from contralateral prophylactic mastectomy.
2 comments:
Hi there, i've found your website so informative!so thanks for that.
i do have a bit of concern reading this, i've been unable to find more info about this study but wonder do you know if that was for genetic positive (Braca1/2) women?
i was advised again mastectomy in affected breast as i was found negative for the gene, this has concerned me... i'm an NHS patient in UK and sometimes, i worry that my treatment may not have been world standard! so do you know if bilateral mast. had such a huge mortality reduction in women NOT carrying the gene associated with triple negative? i'm half on my way back to the hospital! :) thank you so much for your site! oh and i'm 30 now, 27 at DX xx
Kat: I will try to ask the researchers your question. The information I have does not go into BRCA gene status, though. I do not know if they did not account for that or if that just did not make it into the research. In other research, though, women who were negative for the BRCA genes have had a far less aggressive cancer, which may be why your doctors did not do a double mast. I am traveling and am having some internet connection problems, so if I do not get back to this within two weeks, would you post another question, or email me, to remind me? And I am very glad the blog is helpful. I will add you to my prayers. Pat
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