The purpose of this study was to assess the body image of young female
survivors of leukemia. Young female survivors of leukemia (n = 42) we
re compared with healthy age-matched control subjects (n = 69). The st
udy included a semistructured fact-to face interview and psychological
test. The data were separated into three distinct evaluations of each
subject's body image: 1) the subject's self-assessment, 2) evaluation
by a psychiatrist, and 3) the Rorschach test, The body images of the
survivors were inferior to those of the control subjects in all three
evaluations (P<0.001). The preceding leukemia was assessed still as ex
tremely threatening in 26% of the survivors.