Increase in mastectomies for early-stage cancer

Higher proportions of women eligible for breast conservation surgery (BCS) are undergoing mastectomy, breast reconstruction and bilateral mastectomy, with large increases seen in women with lymph node-negative and in situ disease, according to a report published online by JAMA Surgery. BCS has been a standard of excellence in breast cancer care and its use for management of early-stage breast cancer had increased steadily since the 1990s. However, there is evidence that that trend may be reversing, according to a new US study. Dr Kristy Kummerow of Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, and co-authors examined US trends in patients eligible for…