Clinical, pathological and genetic features of women at high familial risk of breast cancer undergoing prophylactic mastectomy

Risk‐reducing mastectomy decisions among women with mutations in high‐ and moderate‐ penetrance breast cancer susceptibility genes

Background

Women harboring mutations in breast cancer susceptibility genes are at increased lifetime risk of developing breast cancer and are faced with decisions about risk management, including whether to undergo high‐risk screening or risk‐reducing mastectomy (RRM). National guidelines recommend BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation carriers consider RRM, but that carriers of moderate penetrance mutations (e.g., ATM or CHEK2) should be managed based on family history. We aimed to investigate determinants of decision for RRM, and hypothesized that mutation status, age, family history, partner status, and breast cancer would impact RRM decision making.

Methods

We performed a retrospective study assessing RRM decisions for 279 women.

Results

Women with BRCA and moderate penetrance gene mutations, a personal history of breast cancer, or a first degree relative with a history of breast cancer were more likely to undergo RRM. Breast cancer status and age showed an interaction effect such that women with breast cancer were less likely to undergo RRM with increasing age.

Conclusion

Although national guidelines do not recommend RRM for moderate penetrance carriers, the rates of RRM for this population approached those for BRCA mutation carriers. Further insights are needed to better support RRM decision‐making in this population.

Novel Approach for Risk-Reducing Mastectomy: First-Stage Implant Placement and Subsequent Second-Stage Mastectomy

BACKGROUND

Risk-reducing mastectomy with tissue expander and then implant-based breast reconstruction conventionally involved immediate submuscular placement of tissue expanders during mastectomy and then, after expansion, replacement of expanders for permanent implants in a second-stage operation. Use of acellular dermal matrix can achieve a single-stage operation; however, acellular dermal matrices are costly and may have potential complications. The authors aim to assess the feasibility of placement of implants as a first-stage procedure before risk-reducing mastectomy as a novel technique of reconstruction that avoids the need for serial outpatient expansion and acellular dermal matrix.

METHODS

Patients for whom risk-reducing mastectomy was planned were offered first-stage dual-plane placement of fixed volume silicone gel permanent implants by means of inframammary fold incisions. Risk-reducing mastectomy was undertaken several months later as the second operation, leaving the implants in place protected by the muscle and capsule pocket. Nipples were preserved or reconstructed according to the patient's choice.

RESULTS

Eight patients with 15 operated breasts were recruited. Anatomically shaped implants were used in all patients, and complete coverage of each implant was achieved. Mean implant volume was 433 ml (range, 290 to 545 ml). There were no complications, and good aesthetic outcomes were achieved.

CONCLUSIONS

This proof-of-principle study finds that placement of implants before risk-reducing mastectomy is a novel technique for women at high breast cancer risk that could reduce the use of tissue expanders and acellular dermal matrices and their associated problems. Two-stage risk-reducing mastectomy with first-stage implant placement and subsequent risk-reducing mastectomy leaving the implants in place is feasible, with no complications, and can produce a good cosmetic outcome.

CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Therapeutic, IV.

Risk-reducing mastectomy for the prevention of primary breast cancer

BACKGROUND

Recent progress in understanding the genetic basis of breast cancer and widely publicized reports of celebrities undergoing risk-reducing mastectomy (RRM) have increased interest in RRM as a method of preventing breast cancer. This is an update of a Cochrane Review first published in 2004 and previously updated in 2006 and 2010.

OBJECTIVES

(i) To determine whether risk-reducing mastectomy reduces death rates from any cause in women who have never had breast cancer and in women who have a history of breast cancer in one breast, and (ii) to examine the effect of risk-reducing mastectomy on other endpoints, including breast cancer incidence, breast cancer mortality, disease-free survival, physical morbidity, and psychosocial outcomes.

SEARCH METHODS

For this Review update, we searched Cochrane Breast Cancer's Specialized Register, MEDLINE, Embase and the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) on 9 July 2016. We included studies in English.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Participants included women at risk for breast cancer in at least one breast. Interventions included all types of mastectomy performed for the purpose of preventing breast cancer.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

At least two review authors independently abstracted data from each report. We summarized data descriptively; quantitative meta-analysis was not feasible due to heterogeneity of study designs and insufficient reporting. We analyzed data separately for bilateral risk-reducing mastectomy (BRRM) and contralateral risk-reducing mastectomy (CRRM). Four review authors assessed the methodological quality to determine whether or not the methods used sufficiently minimized selection bias, performance bias, detection bias, and attrition bias.

MAIN RESULTS

All 61 included studies were observational studies with some methodological limitations; randomized trials were absent. The studies presented data on 15,077 women with a wide range of risk factors for breast cancer, who underwent RRM.Twenty-one BRRM studies looking at the incidence of breast cancer or disease-specific mortality, or both, reported reductions after BRRM, particularly for those women with BRCA1/2 mutations. Twenty-six CRRM studies consistently reported reductions in incidence of contralateral breast cancer but were inconsistent about improvements in disease-specific survival. Seven studies attempted to control for multiple differences between intervention groups and showed no overall survival advantage for CRRM. Another study showed significantly improved survival following CRRM, but after adjusting for bilateral risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy (BRRSO), the CRRM effect on all-cause mortality was no longer significant.Twenty studies assessed psychosocial measures; most reported high levels of satisfaction with the decision to have RRM but greater variation in satisfaction with cosmetic results. Worry over breast cancer was significantly reduced after BRRM when compared both to baseline worry levels and to the groups who opted for surveillance rather than BRRM, but there was diminished satisfaction with body image and sexual feelings.Seventeen case series reporting on adverse events from RRM with or without reconstruction reported rates of unanticipated reoperations from 4% in those without reconstruction to 64% in participants with reconstruction.In women who have had cancer in one breast, removing the other breast may reduce the incidence of cancer in that other breast, but there is insufficient evidence that this improves survival because of the continuing risk of recurrence or metastases from the original cancer. Additionally, thought should be given to other options to reduce breast cancer risk, such as BRRSO and chemoprevention, when considering RRM.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

While published observational studies demonstrated that BRRM was effective in reducing both the incidence of, and death from, breast cancer, more rigorous prospective studies are suggested. BRRM should be considered only among those at high risk of disease, for example, BRCA1/2 carriers. CRRM was shown to reduce the incidence of contralateral breast cancer, but there is insufficient evidence that CRRM improves survival, and studies that control for multiple confounding variables are recommended. It is possible that selection bias in terms of healthier, younger women being recommended for or choosing CRRM produces better overall survival numbers for CRRM. Given the number of women who may be over-treated with BRRM/CRRM, it is critical that women and clinicians understand the true risk for each individual woman before considering surgery. Additionally, thought should be given to other options to reduce breast cancer risk, such as BRRSO and chemoprevention when considering RRM.

Prophylactic Mastectomy: An Appraisal

The main indication of prophylactic mastectomy pertains to BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation carriers. Prophylactic mastectomy includes the simple method and the subcutaneous method. Both methods can be followed by breast plastic reconstruction either at the same time or later. This review examines key issues regarding prophylactic mastectomy: the selection of patients, its effectiveness, its limitations, convergence/divergence in existing guidelines, and future perspectives.

Routine prophylactic sentinel lymph node biopsy is not indicated in women undergoing prophylactic mastectomy

BACKGROUND

Prophylactic mastectomies (PM) are performed to reduce the risk of breast cancer. Occasionally an occult carcinoma is found in PM specimens. Given the high morbidity of axillary lymph node dissection (ALND), some perform prophylactic sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB). We undertook a study to examine if prophylactic SLNB is indicated in all patients undergoing PM.

METHODS

A retrospective review of all PM between 2004 and 2010 was performed. The stage of tumor on the disease side and the pathologic findings in the prophylactic breast were analyzed. The number of SLN and the frequency of lymph node metastases were evaluated.

RESULTS

A total of 199 PM on 184 patients were performed: 169 contralateral PM and 30 bilateral PM. Of the 199 PM, 12 had occult carcinomas (6.0%): 10 non-invasive, 1 microinvasive and 1 T1b invasive tumor. 153 of 199 PM specimens had prophylactic SLNB, of which only 2 had a positive SLN that originated from the index side of the breast.

CONCLUSIONS

Although it is not uncommon to find occult carcinomas in the prophylactic breast, it is rare for the occult carcinoma to spread to the lymph nodes. Therefore, routine prophylactic SLNB is not indicated in patients undergoing PM.

Prophylactic mastectomy for the prevention of breast cancer

BACKGROUND

Recent progress in understanding the genetic basis of breast cancer has increased interest in prophylactic mastectomy (PM) as a method of preventing breast cancer.

OBJECTIVES

(i) To determine whether prophylactic mastectomy reduces death rates from any cause in women who have never had breast cancer and in women who have a history of breast cancer in one breast, and (ii) to examine the effect of prophylactic mastectomy on other endpoints, including breast cancer incidence, breast cancer mortality, disease-free survival, physical morbidity, and psychosocial outcomes.

SEARCH STRATEGY

We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL, 2002), MEDLINE and Cancerlit (1966 to June 2006), EMBASE (1974 to June 2006), and the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (WHO ICTRP) search portal (until June 2006). Studies in English were included.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Participants included women at risk for breast cancer in at least one breast. Interventions included all types of mastectomy performed for the purpose of preventing breast cancer.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

At least two authors independently abstracted data. Data were summarized descriptively; quantitative meta-analysis was not feasible due to heterogeneity of study designs and insufficient reporting. Data were analyzed separately for bilateral prophylactic mastectomy (BPM) and contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM).

MAIN RESULTS

All 39 included studies were observational studies with some methodological limitations; randomized trials were absent. The studies presented data on 7,384 women with a wide range of risk factors for breast cancer who underwent PM.BPM studies on the incidence of breast cancer and/or disease-specific mortality reported reductions after BPM particularly for those with BRCA1/2 mutations. For CPM, studies consistently reported reductions in incidence of contralateral breast cancer but were inconsistent about improvements in disease-specific survival. Only one study attempted to control for multiple differences between intervention groups and this study showed no overall survival advantage for CPM at 15 years. Another study showed significantly improved survival following CPM but after adjusting for bilateral prophylactic oophorectomy, the CPM effect on all-cause mortality was no longer significant.Sixteen studies assessed psychosocial measures; most reported high levels of satisfaction with the decision to have PM but more variable satisfaction with cosmetic results. Worry over breast cancer was significantly reduced after BPM when compared both to baseline worry levels and to the groups who opted for surveillance rather than BPM.Case series reporting on adverse events from PM with or without reconstruction reported rates of unanticipated re-operations from 4% in those without reconstruction to 49% in patients with reconstruction.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

Sixteen studies have been published since the last version of the review, without altering our conclusions. While published observational studies demonstrated that BPM was effective in reducing both the incidence of, and death from, breast cancer, more rigorous prospective studies (ideally randomized trials) are needed. BPM should be considered only among those at very high risk of disease. There is insufficient evidence that CPM improves survival and studies that control for multiple confounding variables are needed.

Gene expression in histologically normal epithelium from breast cancer patients and from cancer-free prophylactic mastectomy patients shares a similar profile

INTRODUCTION

We hypothesised that gene expression in histologically normal (HN) epithelium (NlEpi) would differ between breast cancer patients and usual-risk controls undergoing reduction mammoplasty (RM), and that gene expression in NlEpi from cancer-free prophylactic mastectomy (PM) samples from high-risk women would resemble HN gene expression.

METHODS

We analysed gene expression in 73 NlEpi samples microdissected from frozen tissue. In 42 samples, we used microarrays to compare gene expression between 18 RM patients and 18 age-matched HN (9 oestrogen receptor (ER)+, 9 ER-) and 6 PM patients. Data were analysed using a Bayesian approach (BADGE), and validated with quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) in 31 independent NlEpi samples from 8 RM, 17 HN, and 6 PM patients.

RESULTS

A total of 98 probe sets (86 genes) were differentially expressed between RM and HN samples. Performing hierarchical analysis with these 98 probe sets, PM and HN samples clustered together, away from RM samples. qPCR validation of independent samples was high (84%) and uniform in RM compared with HN patients, and lower (58%), but more heterogeneous, in RM compared with PM patients. The 86 genes were implicated in many processes including transcription and the MAPK pathway.

CONCLUSION

Gene expression differs between the NlEpi of breast cancer cases and controls. The profile of cancer cases can be discerned in high-risk NlEpi from cancer-free breasts. This suggests that the profile is not an effect of the tumour, but may mark increased risk and reveal the earliest genomic changes of breast cancer.

Prophylactic mastectomy in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers and women at risk of hereditary breast cancer: long-term experiences at the Rotterdam Family Cancer Clinic

BACKGROUND

BRCA1/2 mutation carriers and women from a hereditary breast(/ovarian) cancer family have a highly increased risk of developing breast cancer (BC). Prophylactic mastectomy (PM) results in the greatest BC risk reduction. Long-term data on the efficacy and sequels of PM are scarce.

METHODS

From 358 high-risk women (including 236 BRCA1/2 carriers) undergoing PM between 1994 and 2004, relevant data on the occurrence of BC in relation to PM, complications in relation to breast reconstruction (BR), mutation status, age at PM and preoperative imaging examination results were extracted from the medical records, and analyzed separately for women without (unaffected, n = 177) and with a BC history (affected, n = 181).

RESULTS

No primary BCs occurred after PM (median follow-up 4.5 years). In one previously unaffected woman, metastatic BC was detected almost 4 years after PM (primary BC not found). Median age at PM was younger in unaffected women (P < .001), affected women more frequently were 50% risk carriers (P < .001). Unexpected (pre)malignant changes at PM were found in 3% of the patients (in 5 affected, and 5 unaffected women, respectively). In 49.6% of the women opting for BR one or more complications were registered, totaling 215 complications, leading to 153 surgical interventions (71%). Complications were mainly related to cosmetic outcome (36%) and capsular formation (24%).

CONCLUSIONS

The risk of developing a primary BC after PM remains low after longer follow-up. Preoperative imaging and careful histological examination is warranted because of potential unexpected (pre)malignant findings. The high complication rate after breast reconstruction mainly concerns cosmetic issues.

Prophylactic mastectomy in familial breast carcinoma. What do the pathologic findings learn us?

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the indications, techniques and pathologic findings of prophylactic mastectomy (pME).

METHODS

Retrospective study of patients with a strong family history of breast cancer (and ovarian cancer) or with proven BRCA mutation.

RESULTS

Between January 1995 and December 2005, sixty seven patients underwent pME: 15% had a BRCA1 mutation, 31% had a BRCA2 mutation and 33% had a strong family history but without proven BRCA mutation and in 21% mutation analysis was not performed. Fifty eight percent had a personal history of breast cancer of which 84% previously underwent a unilateral mastectomy as part of their treatment. The median time to decision from previous treatment for breast carcinoma to pME was 46 months. Mean age at pME was 43 years. Pathologic examination of the pME specimens revealed invasive and/or in situ carcinoma in 19% (13/67). Atypical ductal/lobular hyperplasia (ADH/ALH) or flat epithelial atypia (FEA) were present in another 3%.

CONCLUSION

Twenty two percent of women at high risk for breast cancer presented at the time of pME with invasive carcinoma or intra-epithelial neoplasia undetected by imaging and clinical examination.

Ductal-lobar organisation of human breast tissue, its relevance in disease and a research objective: vector mapping of parenchyma in complete breasts (the Astley Cooper project)

A human breast has many lobes, which are highly variable in size and shape, each with one central duct, its peripheral branches and their associated glandular tissues. Realising the potential of new endoductal approaches to breast diagnosis and improving our understanding of breast cancer precursors will require greatly improved knowledge of this ductal-lobar anatomy and the distribution of cancer precursors within it. This architecture is very challenging to study in its entirety: whole-breast lobe mapping has only been achieved for two human breasts. Clearly, much more efficient techniques are required. Streamlined data capture and visualisation of breast parenchymal anatomy from thin and thick sections in a vector format would allow integrated mapping of whole-breast structure with conventional histology and molecular data. The 'Astley Cooper digital breast mapping project' is proposed as a name for this achievable research objective. Success would offer new insights into the development of breast cancer precursor lesions, allow testing of the important 'sick lobe' hypothesis, improve correlation with imaging studies and provide 'ground truth' for mathematical modelling of breast growth.

Is Routine Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy Indicated in Women Undergoing Contralateral Prophylactic Mastectomy? Magee-Womens Hospital Experience

INTRODUCTION

The routine use of sentinel node biopsy (SLNB) at the time of prophylactic mastectomy remains controversial. This retrospective study was undertaken to determine if SLNB is justified in patients undergoing CPM.

METHODS

Between 1999 and 2004, 155 patients underwent contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM) at the Magee-Womens Hospital of University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Eighty patients (51.6%) had SLNB performed at the time of CPM. The therapeutic mastectomy and the CPM specimens were evaluated for histopathology. Goldflam's classification was used to determine the risk of malignancy in the CPM specimens.

RESULTS

Pathology in the therapeutic mastectomy specimens included 105 (68%) invasive carcinomas and 50 (32%) in-situ carcinomas. Multicentricity and/or multifocality were reported in 49.7%, and 70% were estrogen receptor positive. Two invasive breast cancers and three cases of DCIS were diagnosed in 155 CPM specimens (n = 5, 3.2%). The median number of SLN identified was 2 (range 1-6) from the CPM axilla. Two patients had positive SLNB for metastatic carcinoma (n = 2/80, 2.5%) with no primary tumor identified in the prophylactic mastectomy specimen. In both patients the therapeutic mastectomy was for recurrent invasive carcinoma in patients with a prior history of axillary node dissection. Occult carcinoma was found in five prophylactic mastectomy specimens: two invasive and three DCIS. Only 1 out of the 75 patients not undergoing SLNB at the time of their initial surgery would have required axillary staging for a previously undiagnosed invasive cancer in the CPM specimen on final pathology. Of all 155 patients undergoing CPM, only 4 (2.5%) had identified final pathologic findings where axillary staging with SLNB was beneficial. There was no evidence of arm lymphedema in any patient who had undergone CPM and SLNB at a median follow-up of 24 months.

CONCLUSION

Although SLNB is a minimally invasive method of axillary staging, this retrospective study does not support its routine use in patients undergoing CPM.

Risk-reducing surgery, screening and chemoprevention practices of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers: a prospective cohort study

This study prospectively evaluated the utilization of cancer risk management strategies in a multi-institutional cohort of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers using a self-report questionnaire. Of 142 unaffected female mutation carriers, 70 (49%) had elected to receive their mutation result. Of those who knew their mutation result, 11% underwent bilateral mastectomy (BM), 29% had bilateral oophorectomy (BO), 78% performed regular breast self-examination (BSE), and 80%, 89%, 67%, and 0% had at least annual clinical breast examination (CBE), mammography, transvaginal ultrasound (TVU), and CA125, respectively. A further 20%, 7%, 0%, 21%, and 75%, respectively, reported never having had these tests. For women who elected not to receive their mutation result, 0% underwent BM, 6% underwent BO, and 77%, 42%, 56%, 7%, and 0% had regular BSE, CBE, mammography, TVU, and CA125, respectively. Only one woman used chemoprevention outside a clinical trial. Uptake of prophylactic surgery and screening was associated with knowing one's mutation status (for all behaviors except BSE), age (for BO and CBE) and residence (for mammography). In this cohort, the minority of mutation carriers utilized risk-reducing surgery or chemoprevention and a substantial minority were not undergoing regular cancer-screening tests.

Analysis of cancer risk and BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation prevalence in the kConFab familial breast cancer resource

Introduction

The Kathleen Cuningham Foundation Consortium for Research into Familial Breast Cancer (kConFab) is a multidisciplinary, collaborative framework for the investigation of familial breast cancer. Based in Australia, the primary aim of kConFab is to facilitate high-quality research by amassing a large and comprehensive resource of epidemiological and clinical data with biospecimens from individuals at high risk of breast and/or ovarian cancer, and from their close relatives.

Methods

Epidemiological, family history and lifestyle data, as well as biospecimens, are collected from multiple-case breast cancer families ascertained through family cancer clinics in Australia and New Zealand. We used the Tyrer-Cuzick algorithms to assess the prospective risk of breast cancer in women in the kConFab cohort who were unaffected with breast cancer at the time of enrolment in the study.

Results

Of kConFab's first 822 families, 518 families had multiple cases of female breast cancer alone, 239 had cases of female breast and ovarian cancer, 37 had cases of female and male breast cancer, and 14 had both ovarian cancer as well as male and female breast cancer. Data are currently held for 11,422 people and germline DNAs for 7,389. Among the 812 families with at least one germline sample collected, the mean number of germline DNA samples collected per family is nine. Of the 747 families that have undergone some form of mutation screening, 229 (31%) carry a pathogenic or splice-site mutation in BRCA1 or BRCA2. Germline DNAs and data are stored from 773 proven carriers of BRCA1 or BRCA1 mutations. kConFab's fresh tissue bank includes 253 specimens of breast or ovarian tissue – both normal and malignant – including 126 from carriers of BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations.

Conclusion

These kConFab resources are available to researchers anywhere in the world, who may apply to kConFab for biospecimens and data for use in ethically approved, peer-reviewed projects. A high calculated risk from the Tyrer-Cuzick algorithms correlated closely with the subsequent occurrence of breast cancer in BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation positive families, but this was less evident in families in which no pathogenic BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation has been detected.

Risk-reducing surgery in women with familial susceptibility for breast and/or ovarian cancer

This multicentre study examined uptake of bilateral risk-reducing mastectomy (BRRM) and bilateral risk-reducing oophorectomy (BRRO) in women at increased risk for breast and/or ovarian cancer who had attended a familial cancer clinic (FCC) between January 1999 and June 2000. Eligible women (N=396), were mailed a questionnaire assessing: BRRM and BRRO details; risk perception; and anxiety. Family history, genetic testing and risk assessment were abstracted from medical records. Surgery was cross-tabulated with demographics, risk perception and anxiety with either Fisher's exact test or the exact form of the Mantel-Haenszel test (for ordinal factors) used to investigate for associations. Ordinal logistic regression was used with continuous-scale covariates. In total, 130 women were lost to follow-up leaving 266; of these 182 (68.4%) responded. Mean follow-up time was 3.73 years. The BRRM rate was 4.4%; with no difference found between moderate and high-risk groups. BRRM was associated with increasing numbers of affected relatives (P=0.025). BRRO was undertaken by 17.3%, more commonly in women older than 40 years of age (P=0.023) and with a BRCA1/2 mutation (P=0.017). Women who underwent BRRM (P=0.052) or BRRO (P<0.001) had a lower post-procedure risk perception than those who did not. During the timeframe of this study, risk-reducing surgery was undertaken by a small percentage of Australian women at increased risk for breast and/or ovarian cancer who attended FCCs. Family cancer history and mutation status were associated with uptake.

Psychological impact of genetic testing for hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer

The psychological impact of predictive genetic testing for hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) was assessed in 114 individuals (32 carriers and 82 non-carriers) attending familial cancer clinics, using mailed self-administered questionnaires prior to, 2 weeks, 4 months and 12 months after carrier status disclosure. Compared to baseline, carriers showed a significant increase in mean scores for intrusive and avoidant thoughts about colorectal cancer 2 weeks (t = 2.49; p = 0.014) and a significant decrease in mean depression scores 2 weeks post-notification of result (t = -3.98; p < 0.001) and 4 months post-notification of result (t = -3.22; p = 0.002). For non-carriers, significant decreases in mean scores for intrusive and avoidant thoughts about colorectal cancer were observed at all follow-up assessment time points relative to baseline. Non-carriers also showed significant decreases from baseline in mean depression scores 2 weeks, 4 months and 12 months post-notification. Significant decreases from baseline for mean state anxiety scores were also observed for non-carriers 2 weeks post-notification (t = -3.99; p < 0.001). These data indicate that predictive genetic testing for HNPCC leads to psychological benefits amongst non-carriers, and no adverse psychological outcomes were observed amongst carriers.

‘That's like chopping off a finger because you’re afraid it might get broken’: Disease and illness in women's views of prophylactic mastectomy

While data are accumulating on the efficacy of prophylactic mastectomy as a means to reduce breast cancer risk in high risk women, the effectiveness of the procedure depends on women's interest in undergoing the procedure. We report on women's responses to this surgical option as a prevention tool. Data derive from a multi-method study of women's interest in and understandings about genetic testing for breast cancer susceptibility. The sample comprises 246 women of varying ethnicities and familial breast cancer risk from Seattle, USA. In this paper, quantitative data are presented on the sociodemographic and risk perception correlates of degree of interest in taking a genetic test for breast cancer if prophylactic mastectomy were the only treatment option. In addition, we report results of a content analysis of women's open-ended responses to the question of whether and why they could imagine undergoing prophylactic mastectomy. Our analysis of these data benefits from a central distinction in medical anthropology between the concepts of illness and disease. We suggest that while prophylactic mastectomy may prevent the "disease" of breast cancer, it may be of little interest to women who see this surgery as itself mimicking the "illness" of breast cancer.