The impact of mastectomy, breast-conserving treatment and immediate breastreconstructions on the quality of life of Chinese women

Background: The psychosocial impact of breast surgery has been extensively studied in the Western population. There is a relative paucity of comparabl e data in Oriental women who are increasingly affected by cancer of the bre ast. The present study investigates the effects that different types of bre ast surgery have on the quality of life of Chinese women. Methods: Forty-nine Chinese women with early breast cancer were interviewed at 6 months-2 years following their primary surgery (breast-conserving tre atment (BCT; 17 patients), mastectomy (15 patients) and mastectomy with imm ediate breast reconstruction (17 patients)). Aspects of quality of life mea sured included general psychological well-being, body image, sexual functio ning and social functioning. Results: Patients who received BCT had significantly better body image scor es compared to mastectomy patients. They were less worried about their appe arance, had more freedom in the choice of clothing, felt less upset by the change in their body and felt more accepted by their partners. The three gr oups did not differ significantly in the other aspects of quality of life m easured. Conclusions: Compared to mastectomy or mastectomy and immediate breast reco nstruction, the most significant benefit of BCT is the preservation of a be tter body image.