Effect of age, body figure and risk information in making treatment decision for female patients with breast cancer / 肿瘤研究与临床

ABSTRACT

Objective To determine the effect of age,body figure and risk framing in making treatment decision for female patients with breast cancer.Methods Two groups of healthy femaleone group of 60 female ages 18-24 from undergraduate student and the other group of 60 female ages 35-60 from the university community.Healthy women imagined that they had been diagnosed with breast cancer and received information regarding lumpectomy versus mastectomy and recurrence rates.Participants indicated whether they would choose lumpectomy or mastectomy and reasons.Results The different concern levels of body appearance between younger and older women influences treatment selection of lumpectomy versus mastectomy.Facing the risk information,older women were unlikely to select the breast conserving operation.Conclusions The factors of age and the attention to body figure would effect the choice of breast conserving operation or mastectomy.Risk information on the selection of treatment would not affected directly,but the effects of risk information on younger and older female is different.Nurses should provide the age-appropriate information who recently have been diagnosed with breast cancer regarding treatment alternatives to ensure their active participation in the decision-making process,female who have different levels of investment in body figure also may have different concerns about treatment,and should be alert on empathetic of such concerns.