Studies have recently shown that double mastectomies are increasing in women due to fear of cancer spreading to the other breast.
Several researchers from multiple medical institutions decided to survey over 1,000 women who were diagnosed with cancer. Their results were troublesome. 90 percent of the women opted to have the double mastectomy despite having no genetic link that would put them at risk for redeveloping cancer in the other breast. Only 10 percent of the women who had the procedure were truly at risk, according to ABC News .
Even more troublesome is the fact that out of the women who need the procedure done, only 1 in 4 women received it.
As New York Daily News noted, one of the researchers stated that many women have misunderstandings about breast cancer risks. A lot of women assume that if cancer is going to spread, it would spread to their other breast. However, the cancer would more likely spread to other parts of their body.
While doctors agree that the decision is up to the patients, they are advising that doctors have in depth conversations with their patients to make sure they understand everything before undergoing a double mastectomy.