Comparing Quality of Life in Breast Cancer Patients Who Underwent Mastectomy Versus Breast-Conserving Surgery: A Meta-Analysis

Abstract

The purpose of our study was to carry out a meta-analysis of current literature to determine whether total mastectomy and breast-conserving surgery induce different outcomes in quality of life, based on the breast-cancer-specific module of the European Organizaation for Research and Treatment of Cancer core questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-BR23) used postoperatively. A systematic literature search of PubMed and EMBASE was conducted. Observational clinical studies that compared the quality of life in different surgery groups and presented empirical findings were selected. Six studies met the inclusion criteria. Breast-conserving surgery has statistically significant better outcomes than mastectomy in three of the eight outcomes measured in the EORTC QLQ-BR23, namely body image (standard mean difference, SMD = 1.742, 95% CI 0.579–2.905, p = 0.003), future perspective (SMD = 0.606, 95% CI 0.075–1.138, p = 0.025) and systemic therapy side effects (SMD = −0.641, 95% CI 0.101–1.181, p = 0.020). Our study highlighted that breast-conserving surgery was preferred over mastectomy because breast-conserving surgery leads to better outcomes in body image, future perspectives and less systemic side effects.

Health-related quality of life among breast cancer patients compared to cancer survivors and age-matched women in the general population in Vietnam

“…Breast is a special symbol of women's beauty and every woman wants to be beautiful". Although the results were not statistically signi cant due to small sample size, it is consistent with previous ndings of original studies and systematic reviews with meta-analysis [30,33,31,[34][35][36].…”

Effect of reminiscence therapy based on positive psychology theory (RTBPPT) on the positive feelings of the spousal caregivers of elderly patients with advanced cancer in China

“…Elderly patients with advanced cancer experience various symptoms, are seriously ill and are under the threat of death at any time. Body image, future expectations of cancer and systemic therapy side effects are associated with poor quality of life in patients suffering from cancer (Ng et al., 2019). This situation creates substantial nursing tasks and places heavy psychological burdens on their caregivers.…”

Retrospective quality of life study in patients with retroperitoneal sarcoma in an Asian population

“…For instance, patients who have recurred are likely to be undergoing treatment and experiencing treatment-related morbidity, which could translate to poorer QOL. Finally, this study did not explore other determinants of QOL including body image, future perspective and systemic therapy side effects as reported in other cancer studies examining QOL [29]. Despite these limitations, there is still value in examining QOL of patients with retroperitoneal sarcoma following curative surgery.…”