Over the past decade the rise in women choosing to have a double mastectomy against physician advice has bewildered the oncology world. In 2012 women undergoing surgery for Stages 0 -3 breast cancer chose a double mastectomy 12% of the time, up from 2% in 1998. Nearly 30% of women under age 45 chose a double mastectomy last year.
The issue whether to choose a single or double mastectomy is highly personal (and obviously scary), and there likely is no clear answer. However, it’s crucial that women making this decision have the most current medical knowledge.
A good recent article on the topic is The Double Mastectomy Rebellion: Defying Doctors, More Women With Breast Cancer Choose Double Mastectomies by Lucette Lagnado.
