For the study, researchers polled a random sample of 517 primary care physicians who treated newly diagnosed patients with early stage breast cancer. They used the Georgia and Los Angeles Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results registries to identify newly diagnosed breast cancer patients.
Three study findings:
1. Thirty-four percent of physicians said they discussed surgery with patients, 23 percent discussed radiation and 22 percent shared chemotherapy options.
2. About 22 percent of physicians said they weren’t comfortable talking to patients about treatment options.
3. Seventeen percent said they did not feel like they had the necessary knowledge to participate in treatment decision-making.
“A third of [primary care physicians] reported participating in breast cancer treatment decisions, yet gaps in their knowledge about decision-making and in their confidence in their ability to help exist,” researchers concluded. “Efforts to increase PCPs’ knowledge about breast cancer treatment options may be warranted.”
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