ABSTRACT
A diagnosis of breast cancer typically means that a woman must quickly make a number of decisions about a variety of treatment options at a time when she is likely to be emotionally stunned by the diagnosis itself (Morris & Ingham, 1988; Stanton & Snider, 1993). Although it is only within the last decade that women have been routinely offered a choice between mastectomy and lumpectomy (Rowland & Massie, 1996), many women now are actively involved in decisions about optimal treatment strategies (Moyer, 1997). Alternatives in the late 1990s include lumpectomy and radiation, mastectomy and reconstruction, immediate versus delayed reconstruction, adjuvant chemotherapy, and adjuvant hormone therapy. To date, we know relatively little about the factors that influence women’s choices about the various types of treatment (Committee to Advise the Department of Defense [CADD], 1993).
