A Survey to Assess Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Amongst Surgeons With Regards to Breast Conservation Surgery and Mastectomy

With increasing evidence the management of breast cancer surgery has seen a paradigm shift towards breast conservation, heralding an era of oncoplastic breast surgery. Despite data supporting BCS in suitable patients with early breast cancer, a significant percentage of women in India who would be candidates for BCS still decide to undergo mastectomy. The factors that influence these treatment decisions are complex and involve issues regarding access to health care, concerns for cancer recurrence, and the impact of surgery on body image and sexuality.

Interestingly, Barron Lerner observed the convergence of the women's liberation movement and the rise of Breast Conservation Surgery as the standard of surgical care in the treatment of early stage disease, implying that the felt need of breast conservation was important in stimulating research into breast conservation. One celebrated example of such demand was, writer Rosamond Babette who refused radical mastectomy when diagnosed with breast cancer in 1971 and sought Bernard Fisher's expertise, who, in that era was offering partial mastectomy for early breast cancer. There is now Level I evidence favoring breast conservation surgery for early breast cancer. Decision of breast conservation surgery or mastectomy for early breast cancer, is based on the clinico-pathological factors, individual factors and physician factors. Each has its influence on the decision; making the decision process complex one.

Age of patient at presentation is important factor and it appears logical that younger patients would prefer breast conservation over mastectomy. Two reviews of the National Cancer Database have demonstrated that on the background of increased numbers of breast conservation younger patients are being treated with mastectomy at higher rates than their older counterparts after adjusting for patient, facility, and tumor characteristics. The subset of women aged ≤ 35 years were twice as likely to undergo mastectomy compared to women aged 61-64 years. These studies also reported similar trends with socioeconomic status, geography, and cancer stage. It is unclear why younger women may be opting for more extensive surgery. This may be due to a concern for locoregional recurrence in younger patients, although more aggressive surgery does not appear to affect breast cancer-specific survival.

Availability of radiation facilities and patients' compliance has been studied in detail with reference to breast conservation. It has been seen that breast conservation rates are higher in tertiary care centers with easy accessibility to radiation facilities and within those patients who stay close by to radiation facilities.

country of training, gender, or number of procedures. These studies suggested female gender, higher case number, training, and individual surgeon practice were associated with increased BCT rates.