Changes in Psychosocial Functioning 1 Year After Mastectomy Alone, Delayed Breast Reconstruction, or Immediate Breast Reconstruction

Abstract

Contrary to the assumed psychological benefits of breast reconstruction, psychological distress was evident among women regardless of reconstruction or timing of reconstruction. Further, psychosocial functioning (including quality of life, sexual functioning, cancer-related distress, body image, depression, and anxiety) was not different at 1-year postsurgery between women with mastectomy alone, mastectomy with immediate reconstruction, and delayed reconstruction. These results suggest that women need psychosocial support after breast cancer diagnosis, even if they have breast reconstruction.

Angelina Jolie’s faulty gene: newspaper coverage of a celebrity’s preventive bilateral mastectomy in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom

“…Only 19 articles (18.4%) mentioned the possible drawbacks of preventive mastectomy, e.g., the incidence of breast reconstruction prosthesis infection 34 or the emotional or psychological consequences that mastectomies have on women, even in cases when the operation is immediately followed by breast reconstruction. 35,36 When crosstabulated by country, the results showed discussions of these topics in six articles published in Canada, six articles in the United States, and seven in the United Kingdom. Nonetheless, 33 articles (32%) did mention the benefits of evidence-based decisions regarding BRCA1/2 testing and genetic risk assessment.…”

Modeling of the metallic port in breast tissue expanders for photon radiotherapy

“…More and more postmastectomy patients have immediate breast reconstructions mainly for cosmetic reasons 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. A temporary tissue expander, which usually includes a high‐density magnetic injection port, offers many advantages including relative simplicity, low morbidity, and good aesthetic results, over other types of breast reconstructions 3, 6.…”

Breast reconstruction following prophylactic or therapeutic mastectomy for breast cancer: Recommendations from an evidence-based provincial guideline

“…been well documented (8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16). Breast reconstruction may alleviate some of the postmastectomy distress experienced by these patients (17); however, the successful integration of breast reconstruction with breast cancer therapy first requires a standardized provincial approach.…”

“…The psychological morbidity and distress associated with delayed reconstruction has been reported to be higher than that of immediate or early reconstructions (10,15,16). Regarding safety, mastectomy alone and mastectomy with immediate breast reconstruction have been shown prospectively to be equivalent at a median 70 months follow-up in terms of local recurrence (5.2% for immediate versus 9.4%), regional metastases (1.4% for immediate versus 1.3%), distant metastases (13.9% for immediate versus 16.4%), and overall survival (HR 1.03) and disease-free survival (HR 0.99).…”