Trends in Patient-centered Decision Support and Use of Decision Aids in Surgical Treatment for Women with Early-stage Breast Cancer

Abstract

Women with early-stage breast cancer often have the choice between undergoing mastectomy or breast-conserving surgery (BCS) . In addition, there is the option of breast reconstruction after breast removal. Choosing the most suitable surgery option requires women to evaluate the benefits, harms, and risk of side-effects. However, many women feel uncertain about the best course of action and require support in the decision-making process. Shared decision making (SDM) has become increasingly important for breast cancer treatment. Patient decision aids (PtDAs) are evidence-based tools that can be supportive in SDM. The aim of this article was to provide a historical overview of three decision-making models and an overview of studies on PtDAs that support SDM for the surgical treatment of women with early-stage breast cancer.