Study Population
cancer, Breast Cancer, breast cancer
BREAST CANCER, BREAST CANCER, CANCER, DISEASE, BILATERAL BREAST CANCER
Patients at Tata Memorial Centre, a high-volume tertiary care cancer center in Mumbai, India, who had a histologically proven diagnosis of early breast cancer (cT1-2/cN0), were included. Patients younger than 18 years and those who had bilateral breast cancer, were pregnant, or were unable to read or comprehend a research questionnaire were excluded. All patients had a thorough triple assessment for suspicion of cancer, including clinical examination, imaging evaluation (digital mammography and ultrasonography when necessary), and needle biopsy. Eligibility for breast-conserving surgery was assessed by the Breast Cancer Disease Management Group at the Tata Memorial Centre (comprising surgeons, radiologist, radiation, and medical oncologist). Patients and their relative(s) were then counseled in the outpatient clinic by a surgeon regarding the suitability and preference for their surgical choices (breast-conserving surgery vs mastectomy). Neither breast-conserving surgery nor mastectomy was represented as favorable in the discussion. Relevant queries from patients were answered to help them understand the nuances of each surgical procedure, and the point of mandatory radiation following breast-conserving surgery was emphasized. Eligible patients were then screened to participate in the study. Operating surgeons were not aware of the patients’ responses to the questionnaire.The Navya–Patient Preference Tool (Navya-PPT) (eFigure in The research questionnaire was used to collect patient demographic characteristics, study end points, and patient preferences for surgery. The primary end point was DCS score. The eFigure in 