Do women newly diagnosed with breast cancer and consulting surgeon assess decision-making equally?

This study assesses the perception of the decision-making process of 25 surgeons and 194 patients (aged 21–81 years) who had newly diagnosed breast cancer and had to undergo mastectomy or breast-conserving surgery (BCS). The majority of women wanted to participate in decision-making. When it was medically possible to give a choice between BCS and mastectomy, only 59% of women received a choice. The main reason that 11% of the women went against surgeonʹs recommendations was fear of cancer recurrence. The most influential factors for women were the surgeonʹs recommendation, and fear of cancer recurrence. Medical assessment and the cosmetic result were the most influential factors for the surgeons. Female surgeons were more influenced by their assessment of the womenʹs need for security, than male. In conclusion, not all women who are eligible for BCS receive an option. Women and surgeons emphasize influencing factors differently. The surgeonʹs gender was found to influence recommendation given.