> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.foodconsumer.org/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Double mastectomy no better than conservative breast surgery plus radiation
- URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/double_mastectomy_0925141125/
- Published: 2014-09-25T12:24:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-22T16:24:45.000Z
- Description: Among 189,734 California women with stage 0-III unilateral breast cancer followed a mean of 89 months, bilateral mastectomy brought no survival gain over breast-conserving surgery with radiation, while unilateral mastectomy carried 35 percent higher death risk.
- Author: Food Consumer
- Tags: Drug, Health News, #vivvo-import

Thursday Sep 25, 2014 (foodconsumer.org) --- A new study published in JAMA suggests that double mastectomy provides no extra benefit compared with breast-conserving surgery plus radiation while unilateral mastectomy can lead to the highest risk of death from the disease among the three treatments.

Double mastectomy also called bilateral Mastectomy is often prescribed to breast cancer patients considered at high risk of breast cancer to prevent the disease from developing in the healthy breast. Bilateral mastectomy is increasingly used to treat unilateral breast cancer in hopes that the treatment can cut death risk.

The population-based observational cohort study was based on data from 189, 734 patients diagnosed with stages 0-III unilateral breast cancer registered to California Cancer Registry from 1998 through 2011 and patients were followed up for a mean of 89 months.

Researchers noticed that the rate of bilateral mastectomy increased from 2.0% in 1998 to 12.3% in 2011\. Among women younger than 40 years, the rate increased from 3.6% in 1998 to 33% in 2011\. 

Non-Hispanic white women, those with private insurance, and those who were treated at a National Cancer Institute (NCI)–designated cancer center were more likely to receive bilateral mastectomy.

Racial/ethnic minorities and those with public/Medicaid insurance were more likely to receive unilateral mastectomy.

Among those treated with unilateral mastectomy, 20.1% died from all causes during a 10-year follow-up, compared to 16.8 % among those treated with breast-conserving surgery with radiation. That is, unilateral mastectomy was associated with 35% increased risk of death, compared to breast conserving surgery with radiation.

Bilateral mastectomy did not reduce the mortality, compared to breast conserving surgery with radiation.

The study concluded "Use of bilateral mastectomy increased significantly throughout California from 1998 through 2011 and was not associated with lower mortality than that achieved with breast-conserving surgery plus radiation."

Note that radiation treatment harms the heart and increase risk of other cancers like leukemia. (David Liu, PHD)

Allison W. Kurian, MD, MSc; Daphne Y. Lichtensztajn, MD, MPH; Theresa H. M. Keegan, PhD; David O. Nelson, PhD; Christina A. Clarke, PhD; Scarlett L. Gomez, PhD, Use of and Mortality After Bilateral Mastectomy Compared With Other Surgical Treatments for Breast Cancer in California, 1998-2011, JAMA. 2014;312(9):902-914\.