Knowledge and preference for breast conservation therapy among women without breast cancer

We interviewed 419 adult women in Minnesota, who were selected at random an d without a history of breast cancer, to ascertain what percentage could co rrectly report that cure was the same for breast conservation therapy and m astectomy, what percentage would state a preference for breast conservation therapy rather than mastectomy, and characteristics associated with these outcomes. Nearly all women (n = 360; 86%) had heard of both mastectomy and breast conservation therapy; among these women, 37% correctly reported that the two treatments were equally efficacious. Given a scenario where they w ere diagnosed with breast cancer amenable to either treatment, 58% of parti cipants stated a preference for breast conservation therapy. Older women we re less likely than younger women to know that cure was the same for breast conservation therapy and mastectomy (adjusted OR = 0.5, 95% CI 0.2, 1.0), and women residing in urban areas were more Likely to prefer breast conserv ation therapy over mastectomy compared to rural residents (adjusted OR = 2. 2, 95% CI 1.3, 3.8). Comparing these findings to women diagnosed with breas t cancer in Minnesota, breast conservation therapy was found to be performe d less frequently than preference for such therapy among women in our study would suggest. Educating women prior to diagnosis about breast cancer trea tment options, and exploring reasons for the gap between actual utilization of breast conservation therapy and prediagnosis preference, may be indicat ed.