In collaboration with the Cancer Surveillance and Outcomes Research Team (CanSORT) at the University of Michigan Health System, CMCD-affiliated researchers worked to identify the psychological and clinical characteristics of women with breast cancer that determine their choice of surgical options, satisfaction with care, and health-related quality of life. The major goals of this project were to evaluate patterns of treatment and decision-making among breast cancer patients in Detroit and Los Angeles with early stage breast cancer and to survey the patients’ treating surgeons.
Investigators found that patterns of surgery and radiation therapy were largely the same for patients with ductal carcinoma en situ (DCIS) and early stage invasive breast cancer. Most patients (about two-thirds in each group) received breast conservation therapy followed by radiation as their initial treatment, while the remainder received mastectomy. Recently, the investigators showed that rates of contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (removal of the unaffected breast at the time of the affected breast) were also similar among women with DCIS and early-stage invasive breast cancer.
For more information, contact Dr. Nancy K. Janz at nkjanz@umich.edu.
Categories:
Cancer, U-M Health System
