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- PMID: 23692813
- UKPMCID: 23692813
- DOI: 10.1016/j.ejca.2013.04.025
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International variation in physicians' attitudes towards prophylactic mastectomy - comparison between France, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
Den Heijer, M; van Asperen, C J; Harris, H; Nippert, I; Schmidtke, J; Bouhnik, A D; Julian-Reynier, C; Evans, D G; Tibben, A
European journal of cancer (Oxford, England : 1990). 2013;49(13):2798-805.
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Full-text held externally
- PMID: 23692813
- UKPMCID: 23692813
- DOI: 10.1016/j.ejca.2013.04.025
Abstract
PURPOSE: Prophylactic mastectomy (PM) has proven to be the most effective method to reduce the risk of breast cancer in high-risk women. The present study aimed to present and compare the attitudes towards PM among physicians in France, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom (UK). PATIENTS AND METHODS: An international sample of 1196 general practitioners (GPs) and 927 breast surgeons (BS) were surveyed using a mailed questionnaire. RESULTS: Only 30% of the French and 27% of the German GPs were of opinion that PM should be an option for an unaffected female BRCA1/2 mutation carrier, as compared to 85% and 92% of the GPs in the Netherlands and UK, respectively. Similarly, 78% of the French and 66% of the German BS reported a positive attitude towards PM, as compared to 100% and 97% of the BS in the Netherlands and UK, respectively. In the whole sample of GPs, a positive attitude towards PM was associated with country of residence, being female, and having more knowledge of breast/ovarian cancer genetics, while among BS there was a positive association with country of residence and having more knowledge of breast/ovarian cancer genetics as well, and, in addition, with a higher number of newly diagnosed breast cancer patients last year. CONCLUSION: These results demonstrated the international variations in the attitude towards PM among physicians. This might reflect that different policies are adopted to prevent breast cancer in women at-risk.
Keyword(s)
Breast cancer; France; Germany; International variation; Physicians’ attitudes; Prophylactic mastectomy; Surgeons; The Netherlands; The UK