Emotion and contralateral prophylactic mastectomy: A prospective study into surgical decision-making

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Surgical Oncology
• Psychological Oncology

Background:

• Contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM) rates are increasing despite low risk of contralateral breast cancer in non-familial, unilateral cases.
• Previous studies identified patient factors for CPM but lacked prospective emotional assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To prospectively assess patient emotions and their association with the decision to undergo CPM.
• To investigate the influence of emotions and personality on surgical choices in unilateral breast cancer patients.

Main Methods:

• Prospective, longitudinal study of 86 newly diagnosed, unilateral, non-metastatic breast cancer patients awaiting surgery.
• Utilized pre- and post-visit surveys to assess emotions and decision-making regarding CPM.

Main Results:

• Patients undergoing CPM were significantly younger than those who did not.
• No statistically significant association found between emotion and CPM receipt.
• A non-significant trend suggested increased CPM in patients with less open personalities and more negative emotions post-consultation.

Conclusions:

• A trend, though not statistically significant, links increased CPM with less open personality types and heightened negative emotions post-consultation.
• Future research should develop cancer-specific emotion scales and conduct larger studies on emotion, personality, and surgical decisions in breast cancer care.