Michigan: A recent study published in the journal Health Service Research has found that even after undergoing breast cancer surgery, about half of women don't know that survival rates with removal of the cancerous portion of the breast only, along with radiation treatment, are equal to those seen with removal of the entire breast.

The study by Dr. Sarah T. Hawley of the University of Michigan Health System in Ann Arbor and her colleagues has noted that awareness of survival rates of women undergone these surgeries is clearly demarcated in different races and only half of women are aware that in both the cases survival rate is same.

According to the study, African-American and Hispanic women were less likely than whites to have this information. Furthermore, this racial disparity in knowledge was the same even among women who received treatment at the highest-quality cancer centers, from the most experienced surgeons.

The lead author of the study, Dr. Sarah T. Hawley said, "We feel like it probably has a lot more to do with the way the providers are communicating information to patients." Sarah Hawley, a research assistant professor at the University of Michigan Health System and research investigator at the Ann Arbor VA Healthcare System, said that many women are not aware of the risks and benefits of the treatment.

The researchers have articulated that five-year survival rates after breast-conserving surgery (BCS), or lumpectomy, along with radiation for early-stage breast cancer are now known to be the same as those for mastectomy, in which the entire breast is removed. However, the percentage of women who undergo mastectomy for early-stage disease remains high in certain parts of the country.

Examining 1,132 patients in Detroit and Los Angeles who had already undergone treatment for early-stage breast cancer, along with 277 surgeons, the study found that overall, 51 percent of the women were aware that five-year survival after BCS with radiation was the same as it was after mastectomy. The participants were asked to describe their race and ethnicity, knowledge of survival and recurrence and the topics, they discussed with their surgeon giving the treatment.

The study found that nearly three-quarters of the women surveyed said that their surgeon had discussed both treatment options with them, and these women were more likely to understand that survival rates were the same for both options. In 20 states, including Michigan and California, the researchers note, surgeons are required by law to discuss both treatment options with eligible patients. Nevertheless, while 57 percent of the white women in the study had survival knowledge, just 34 percent of African-American women and 37 percent of Latinas and women from other ethnic groups did.

The researchers wrote, "Perhaps the most concerning finding from this analysis was the persistence of racial/ethnic differences in breast cancer treatment knowledge despite controlling for surgeon characteristics, treatment location, and patient-surgeon communication."