Pittsburgh: More women are opting for having both breasts removed after a diagnosis of cancer in just one breast, but a new study says that won't make a difference in survival rates.

According to the study, released on Tuesday by the Stanford University School of Medicine and the Cancer Prevention Institute of California and published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, women who chose a double mastectomy had similar survival rates to those who had the more targeted procedure of lumpectomy. That's when just the malignant tumour is removed, followed by radiation.

More woman are opting for a double mastectomy, but a new study says it won't make a difference in survival rates. Credit:Steve Christo

Ten-year survival rates were roughly the same – about 82 per cent – for women who had lumpectomies plus radiation and for women who had double mastectomies. Women who had a unilateral mastectomy had slightly lower survival rates.

The researchers found that most women choosing double mastectomies are white, have private insurance and receive treatment at a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer centre. In 2011 alone, 33 per cent of women with cancer in one breast under age 40 opted to remove both breasts, compared with 3.6 per cent in 1998.