Laws don't change doctors

US doctors don't seem to be passing on the good news about breast conserving surgery to their patients even though they're required to do so by state law.

Radical mastectomy rates are back to the old, pre legislation levels and they dipped only for the first six months after the laws were introduced.

The law has been passed in only five states, but those that have including New Mexico, Michigan, Hawaii and Georgia have noticed no change in treatment, according to the National Cancer Institute (N Engl J Med, 1996; 335: 1035-40).

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