Double mastectomy does not increase breast cancer survival, new study reveals

Breast cancer patients who are looking to increase their chances of survival after they were diagnosed with cancer in one breast, by undergoing a double mastectomy need to stop right now! For a new study reveals that even after suffering through the procedure your survival rates don't actually increase.

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Double mastectomy doesn't increase breast cancer survival: Study

Cohort study including 660k+ women with unilateral breast cancer and followed up for 20 years found that bilateral mastectomy was associated with a statistically significant reduction of contralateral breast cancer risk but not breast cancer mortality. https://t.co/neTbPIZMyU pic.twitter.com/socK17DZUR

¡ª JAMA Oncology (@JAMAOnc) July 26, 2024

According to the findings of a study published in JAMA Oncology, people who chose a double or bilateral mastectomy, a medical procedure to remove both breasts, even if only one of them is affected by cancer as a precautionary measure, did not have an advantage over those who had a lumpectomy or a unilateral mastectomy on one side.

The study analysed 661?270 women who were diagnosed with unilateral breast cancer over a nearly 20-year period, from 2000 to 2019, to estimate their mortality rates depending upon the type of initial surgery performed.

The study revealed that breast cancer patients who underwent surgery actually did very well over the 20-year period with a 7% chance of developing cancer in the other breast.

Additionally, you'll be shocked to know, deaths from breast cancer were quite similar in all three groups! With 8.5% of patients who underwent lumpectomies, 9% of patients who underwent unilateral mastectomies and 8.5% of patients who underwent mastectomies.

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Who actually benefits from a double mastectomy, when used as a precautionary measure?

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According to the National Cancer Institute, preventive surgery is significantly helpful in lowering breast cancer risk in people who are at high risk, such as people who have inherited a harmful mutation in breast cancer susceptibility genes like the BRCA1, BRCA2, TP53, or PTEN.

In such cases risk-reducing double mastectomy is recommended while also taking into account the patient's age as well as their mental health. Another study on the matter reveals that the type of surgery a young woman chooses to prevent breast cancer or early-stage breast cancer may affect their quality of life in later years.

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