No abstract

Patient satisfaction with cosmetic outcome and the psychological impact of breast cancer surgery were evaluated. A total of 207 patients with primary breast cancer, treated with either breast-conserving surgery (n = 83), modified radical mastectomy without reconstruction (n = 108), or mastectomy with delayed breast reconstruction (n = 16) rated their cosmetic outcome and satisfaction following surgery, and the impact of surgery on their self-esteem and sexual life, by questionnaire. Patients undergoing breast-conserving surgery were most satisfied with their surgery and body image, followed by those treated with mastectomy with delayed reconstruction. Although diagnosis of breast cancer had a negative impact on the psychology of all patients, those undergoing breast-conserving surgery or mastectomy with delayed reconstruction were more satisfied and reported a lower impact on their self-esteem and sexual life versus those who only had mastectomy. Diagnosis of breast cancer has a negative psychological impact on the patient, but the type of surgery has a significant role in post-operative self-esteem and sexual life.

Optimism is a key variable for adjustment in aversive conditions. The purpose of this study was to examine whether optimism is predicted by two stress‐related variables which represent information about self and the environment (i.e. illness‐related stress and self‐efficacy), in a sample of breast cancer survivors. Ninety‐two women who had undergone a mastectomy participated in the study (minimum time elapsed since diagnosis = 3 years). Most participants (51 per cent) reported that at least one of four illness‐related concerns had been quite or very stressful in the past 6 months. Analyses showed that illness‐related stress exerted influence on optimism through coping, whereas self‐efficacy exerted influence both directly and through coping. Stress was predicted by two medical variables (time since diagnosis and time since mastectomy). These findings confirmed our hypothesis that knowledge about personal abilities, as well as about environment difficulties can predict the way a person evaluates future outcomes. This study has significant implications for clinical practice with patients. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The first aim of this study was to examine the psychological health of long-term breast cancer survivors who had undergone a mastectomy and were disease-free since treatment, in comparison with a matched healthy control group. A second aim was to examine the association between symptoms and cancer-related stress and coping. A total of 103 Greek breast cancer survivors, who had undergone a mastectomy more than 3 years ago and were free of any metastasis or relapse, participated in the study. The comparison group consisted of 100 women matched for age, education and marital status. Survivors scored significantly higher only in depressive symptomatology. Cancer-related stress and certain coping strategies were associated with psychological symptoms, even after controlling for demographic variables and time since mastectomy. Stress and focusing on the positive played a significant role in predicting depressive symptomatology.

Cancer patients’ quality of life (QoL) and distress are affected by dispositional factors such as attachment anxiety or avoidance. In this review, we aimed to provide a thorough overview of the relationship between attachment dimensions and QoL and distress among early-stage breast cancer patients. Following PRISMA guidelines, we conducted a systematic search using PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus, Cinahl, Google Scholar, and PMC Europe. We reviewed 8 eligible studies describing 1180 patients. Insecure attachment appeared to be related to poorer QoL and higher distress levels. Avoidant attachment was more frequent and was more often associated with more negative outcomes. Healthcare providers should consider investigating modifiable personality traits in the immediate post diagnosis period to identify patients more vulnerable to mental health problems, deliver personalized care, and reduce emotional burden.