When the Doctor Recommends Against the Surgery a Breast Cancer Patient Wants

April 5, 2017

(Medical Xpress) – More women with breast cancer are electing to have both breasts removed, even when cancer affects only one breast. The procedure, called contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM), is a more complex surgery that has not been shown to improve survival. A new study from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center examines the complex interaction between patients’ desires for the most extensive treatment and surgeons’ responsibility to minimize harm. The population-based survey, published in JAMA Surgery, found that few patients sought a second opinion or went to a different hospital when their surgeon recommended against CPM.