Preventive Surgery for Breast Cancer

May 2, 2008 (New York City) -- Many women who undergo a mastectomy for cancer in one breast and choose to have their other, healthy breast removed as a preventive measure are extremely satisfied with the results, researchers report.

"The majority of women felt it gave them a sense of control," says researcher Anne Rosenberg, MD, a breast cancer surgeon at Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson University in Philadelphia.

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"They had low anxiety and depression scores. And they were particularly proactive about instituting healthy lifestyle changes such as quitting smoking," she tells WebMD.

The procedure is called a contralateral prophylactic mastectomy. The findings were presented here at the American Society of Breast Surgeons (ASBS) Ninth Annual Meeting.

Incoming ASBS President Shawna Willey, MD, director of the Betty Lou Ourisman Breast Health Center at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington D.C., says that the procedure "is a reasonable option" for women undergoing mastectomy.

"The fact that they already have had cancer in one breast puts them at high risk of developing cancer in the other breast," she tells WebMD. "They're motivated because they don't want to go through the fear of having another breast cancer diagnosis."

Rosenberg says that better breast reconstructive techniques are a major reason why more women are opting for the procedure. "They can choose contralateral mastectomy and have both breasts reconstructed at the same time."

Women's motivations need further study, she says.

Thirty-five women who chose to have contralateral prophylactic mastectomy responded to the research survey. Nearly all indicated the highest level of satisfaction with the decision for the procedure.

Low Recurrence Rate

Early results from another study presented at the meeting suggest that that the procedure lowers the risk of cancer in the other breast.

Min Yi, MD, of the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, and colleagues reviewed the outcomes of more than 500 women who had contralateral prophylactic mastectomy. In the three years after the procedure, none of the women developed cancer in the area where the healthy breast was removed.

Rosenberg says the findings are reassuring, but the women "really have to be followed for 10 or 20 years" before any firm conclusions can be drawn.

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