Decision Regret About Treatment Amongst Women With Early Breast Cancer: An Integrative Review.
Jing Liu, Sharyn Hunter, Regina Lai Tong Lee and 2 others
PMID 39844534WHAT IT FOUND
Women with early breast cancer can report treatment decision regret, especially after mastectomy.
Regret was linked with poorer communication, lower health literacy, and anxiety.
Key findings
01Reported decision regret varied widely, from 2.7% to 69% of women in different studies.
02Two studies consistently reported that women having a mastectomy had significantly higher levels of regret than those with breast-conserving surgery.
03Five quantitative studies found that greater patient involvement in decision-making was associated with lower decision regret.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only studies published in English were included, so evidence from other languages may be missing. The review could not provide an accurate estimate of regret levels because it did not combine studies statistically. Many studies measured regret at one time point, so the findings may not show how regret changes over time. Most surgery studies did not separate regret by type of surgery, so it is hard to tell which surgical choice carries more risk. Only three studies specifically examined decision regret related to adjuvant therapies, so evidence is limited for chemotherapy, radiotherapy, hormone therapy, or targeted therapy. Reported regret may be underestimated because stigma can make women less willing to share negative emotions.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. Funding came from the China Scholarship Council.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume low reported regret means regret is uncommon. Rates varied from 2.7% to 69%, and the review warns that regret may be underestimated.