Surgeons' Attitudes Toward Breast Cancer, Its Treatment, and Their Relationship With Patients

Some breast cancer patients experience considerable difficulty in adapting psychologically to their illness and to the loss of the breast, and it has been suggested that the surgeon can play a key role in helping them adjust. However, it is unrealistic to consider the surgeon-patient relationship in this context without taking account of the surgeon's perspective as well as that of the patient. This article reports data from a small-scale exploratory study of the perceptions of 36 surgeons in London, England, regarding breast cancer and its treatment and their role in relation to patients and points to the ambiguities and choices with which surgeons are confronted in performing this role.