Breast cancer patients who opt for a double mastectomy under the belief it will better their quality of life may want to reconsider, researchers say.

Studies have found that in women who have cancer in one breast, removing the other one as a preventative measure did not increase survival.  But regardless of this, the trend towards such double mastectomy has increased almost six-fold since 1998.

Given that trend, researchers at the Duke Cancer Institute decided to look at whether this decision to remove both breasts might result in a positive impact on women's quality of life, if not their length of life.

The researchers surveyed nearly 4,000 women who had undergone a procedure known as “contralateral prophylactic mastectomy,” which means that they opted to remove both the healthy breast along with the cancerous one as a preventative measure.

They women were evaluated for psychosocial, physical and sexual well-being. The study, which appears in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, also evaluated breast satisfaction, which focused on breast symmetry, appearance, feel, fit in a bra, and look in and out of clothing.

Although women who underwent the double mastectomy reported slightly higher breast satisfaction, the researchers found that breast reconstruction played a greater role in improving quality of life.