Why would any woman pick mastectomy if the survival rate is the same?
Thanks to early detection, between 70 and 75 percent of women diagnosed with breast cancer today are possible candidates for lumpectomy or other breast-conserving surgery. Yet, half of these women undergo mastectomies instead. Some of those women are making a well-informed choice. Some do not know that they have a choice. And, because of the costs of health care, some cannot afford to make the choice they would prefer. Unfortunately, cost sometimes prevents women from choosing breast-conserving surgery. Lumpectomy followed by radiation costs more in the short-term than mastectomy, and some insurance plans do not cover all the expenses of the lumpectomy or the radiation therapy. Reconstruction of the breast after mastectomy adds to the cost, but the law requires that insurance covers that expense. Despite the slightly higher cost of lumpectomy and radiation, that choice is actually less expensive if you look at costs for the five years after the initial diagnosis.
Thanks to early detection, between 70 and 75 percent of women diagnosed with breast cancer today are possible candidates for lumpectomy or other breast-conserving surgery. Yet, half of these women undergo mastectomies instead. Some of those women are making a well-informed choice. Some do not know that they have a choice. And, because of the costs of health care, some cannot afford to make the choice they would prefer. Unfortunately, cost sometimes prevents women from choosing breast-conserving surgery. Lumpectomy followed by radiation costs more in the short-term than mastectomy, and some insurance plans do not cover all the expenses of the lumpectomy or the radiation therapy. Reconstruction of the breast after mastectomy adds to the cost, but the law requires that insurance covers that expense. Despite the slightly higher cost of lumpectomy and radiation, that choice is actually less expensive if you look at costs for the five years after the initial diagnosis. Lumpectomy preserves t
