A recent Yahoo! Health News article reported that the post-mastectomy breast reconstruction rate remains low despite the implementation of a law mandating medical coverage for the surgical procedure. Researchers and surgeons who specialize in the surgery expressed their surprise that more women hadn't taken advantage of the federal Women's Health and Cancer Rights Act (WHCRA), which went into effect in 1999. The study found that:

• Fewer than one-fifth of women who undergo mastectomy currently choose to undergo breast reconstruction.

• Before medical insurance was mandated for the procedure in 1999, about 15.9 percent of women had the operation to fashion a new breast. During the years 2000 to 2002, 16.8 percent did.

Doctors and surgeons in the same article expressed their concern that large numbers of women were not hearing about the new law and therefore were not asking for the procedure. Others mentioned that the older age of most patients added to the lack of desire for the implants. Still, researchers plan to continue their investigation into possible determining factors, including: "patients' socioeconomic status, the feelings of their partner and other family members about reconstruction, and how much information they get from their doctor."

Personally, I'm not sure why so many intelligent surgeons and researchers are so baffled by the decision. HealthDay reporter Amanda Gardner revealed that almost one third of women who have the post-mastectomy reconstructive breast implant surgery will face short-term complications and that one in five will require additional surgery. Common adverse reactions include: infection, blood clotting, seroma (build-up of fluid in the tissue) and skin perforation. And these are only the short-term problems.

Dr. Jay Brooks, chairman of hematology/oncology at the Ochsner Clinic Foundation in Baton Rouge, Louisiana noted the serious medical risk involved with post-mastectomy implants:

"We do not know the extent of the cancer, and having a reconstruction can cause problems for the oncologist treating the person for their cancer," he said. "Many of these things become infected, they break. They have all sorts of problems and I'm left with postponing treatment which will determine whether they will live or die, basically for a cosmetic implant."

Hmmm. Sounds like the researchers in article #1 should do some more reading. Not only do breast reconstruction patients risk painful surgical complications, but they also risk not knowing whether the cancer they have fought so hard to overcome has resurfaced. Opting out doesn't sound so strange to me.