Posted on Mon, Aug 31, 2009 : 4 p.m.
Loved ones play big role in newly-diagnosed breast cancer patient surgery decisions, University of Michigan study says
By Tina Reed
The family member or friend that a newly diagnosed breast cancer patient brings with her - not what she’s being told by a surgeon - may play a bigger role in the kind of surgery she ends up choosing, a newly published University of Michigan study found.Â
Researchers from U-M’s Comprehensive Cancer Center looked at the decision many patients make between a mastectomy, which removes the entire breast, or a lumpectomy, which is a breast-conserving surgery to remove a tumor that's followed by radiation treatment.Â
In the study of more than 1,600 women in Detroit and Los Angeles, about three-quarters of women brought a loved one with them to the first visit with the doctor. And the women who brought a friend or family member were more likely to receive a mastectomy.
Concern about cancer recurrence, body image and the effects of radiation were also factors in a woman’s decision about surgery, the study concluded.


Â
The study is set to be published online in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
“Clearly, others help with
 and contribute to decision making, and may do so differently for 
different racial or ethnic groups,” lead study author Sarah
 Hawley, research associate professor of internal medicine
 at the U-M Medical School, said in a release.

 “We want to ensure a woman’s decision is high-quality, which means
 it’s based on accurate knowledge about treatment risks and benefits 
and is consistent with the underlying values of the patient.”
The researchers plan to use their work to create a tool to help patients with decision-making.Â
Tina Reed can be reached at tinareed@annarbor.com or follow her at Twitter at www.twitter.com/treedinaa.