Breast cancer mastectomies study

The number of women having both breasts removed after a tumor is found in one increased by 150 percent over a five-year period, researchers reported Monday.

The procedure, however, is being performed despite a lack of evidence showing that double mastectomies increase survival in most women.

Current guidelines for treatment of a localized breast cancer call only for removal of the tumor and not for a mastectomy — much less a double mastectomy.

But an increasing number of women, particularly young white women, are pushing for the more aggressive procedure for reasons that are not totally clear, the researchers said.

They surmised that some women think the health-care system did not detect their tumor early enough and that continued screening would not be effective, while others might have been traumatized by chemotherapy. Improvements in reconstructive surgery also have made a double mastectomy a more acceptable alternative.