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Standard treatment for women with early-stage breast cancer includes breast-conserving surgery combined with axillary lymph node dissection and radiotherapy. This approach rivals mastectomy in terms of survival and recurrence. Using Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program tumor registry data, investigators compared initial treatment and mortality rates in more than 100,000 women (age range, 21–64) with or without disabilities who were diagnosed with Stage I to Stage IIIA breast cancer. The 2800 women who received Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Medicare at the time of breast cancer diagnosis were classified as disabled.
Disabled women were 20% less likely to receive breast-conserving surgery than women witho…