A new study found that more males diagnosed with breast cancer are opting to have both breasts removed through a double mastectomy surgery.
In the past, researchers discovered that there have been an increase in U.S. females diagnosed with unilateral invasive breast cancer, who choose to undergo contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM), which is the removal of a healthy breast for preventive reasons. According to experts, CPM is not always medically recommended. In fact, whether this type of surgery can prolong life still has lacking evidences. Nonetheless, the rates of this surgery among females have rose from 2.2 percent from 1998 to 11 percent in 2011. However, the rate of CPM among U.S. males diagnosed with the same condition have not been clearly defined. In this new study, the authors wanted to investigate the trends associated with CPM in men who were diagnosed with unilateral invasive breast cancer.
The researchers performed the study by reviewing data from the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries, which is a database of cancer patients. They were able to collate 6,332 men who had a cancer in one breast and had underwent a surgical operation from 2004-2011.
The findings of the study, published in the journal JAMA Surgery, showed that during the said study period, the rates of men who underwent CPM almost doubled as it shoot up from three percent in 2004 to 5.6 percent in 2011. More specifically, breast-conserving surgery were found to have been performed in 1,254 men, unilateral mastectomy in 4,800 men and contralateral prophylactic mastectomy 278 men.
The study was also able to present that the majority of the population of men who opted to undergo double mastectomy were younger in age. Men who were willing to undergo surgery were found to have decreased as age advances.
"[The operation] is only recommended for a small proportion of men," says Dr. Ahmedin Jemal, study lead author and the vice president of surveillance and health services research at the American Cancer Society.
Men diagnosed with breast cancer are typically rare, with only about one percent of diagnosed cases in the U.S. According to Jemal, men diagnosed with the malignant disease in one breast should talk to their physicians to know more about the benefits and hazards of CPM. In this way, patients will be more knowledgeable about their options and at the same time, an informed consent may be achieved. Treatment plans must be individualized because not all patients are the same, and no matter what therapy is recommended, it should be backed up by evidence.
