A study published in the journal Health Service Research finds that many women did not know that survival rates in women who choose breast-conserving surgery and radiation therapy are similar when compared to women who opt for breast removal.
The study says that awareness of survival rates of women undergone these surgeries is clearly demarcated in different races and only half of women are aware that in both the cases survival rate is same.
The lead author Sarah Hawley, a research assistant professor at the University of Michigan Health System and research investigator at the Ann Arbor VA Healthcare System, said that many women are not aware of the risks and benefits of the treatment. During the study 1,132 women from Detroit and Los Angeles participated who had undergone surgical treatment for Ductal Carcinoma in situ (DSIC) or invasive one.
The participants were asked to describe their race and ethnicity, knowledge of survival and recurrence and the topics, they discussed with their surgeon giving the treatment.
After analysis it was found that only half of women (51%) were aware of the risks and benefits of the two procedures mentioned above.
The report suggests that African-American women or Hispaniac women are less likely to have adequate information while the women who discussed with their surgeons on both the treatment options knew about the survival and recurrence rates unlike the minority women.
However, Dr. Leah Karliner, assistant professor of medicine at the University of California (not associated with the survey) remarked that the findings of the survey are concerning because of the inferences drawn from the research of below optimal communication between surgeons and their ethnic minority patients.
She also suggested that women undergoing such treatment should always interact with their surgeons before deciding on a treatment option and should know the reason why the doctor suggested particular treatment for them.
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