Evidence-based recommendations for building better bras for women treated for breast cancer

Gho, Sheridan A.; Munro, Bridget J.; Jones, Sandra C.; Steele, Julie R.

doi:10.1080/00140139.2014.897377

Cited by 13 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…Little quantitative research has been conducted to understand the specific bra needs of women with reconstructed breasts, but qualitative studies have shown that breast cancer patients have common complaints and challenges pertaining to bra comfort and fit [7], [8]. From focus groups and an online survey our team conducted in 2014, we learned that women with breast reconstruction had difficulty finding post-surgical garments that addressed their specific needs [8].…”

Section: Fig 1 Significant Morphological Changes Occur After Breastmentioning

confidence: 99%

Correspondence of Breast Measurements for Bra Design After Reconstruction Surgery

Nicklaus¹,

Chu²,

Liu³

et al. 2017

Proceedings of 3DBODY.TECH 2017 - 8th International Conference and Exhibition On 3D Body Scanning and Processing Technologies,

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Bra fit is a common quality of life problem for women with breast reconstruction. However, there is a lack of knowledge of how the changes in breast size and shape due to breast reconstruction surgery affect a woman's bra comfortability. There exists a unique opportunity to capture surgeons' knowledge of how breasts change after reconstruction and relay that information to clothing designers to aid designing bras for this patient population. Our goal is to investigate how to translate surgical knowledge about breast size, shape, and symmetry changes to quantitative data usable for bra design. We compared common measurements of the breast used by clothing designers to determine bra fit to standard clinical measurements used by surgeons for reconstruction planning. In consultation with a clothing designer and reconstructive surgeon, we determined 7 bra measurements and 8 associated fiducial points that can be localized on the type of clinical images that is widely used for documenting surgical outcomes. The measurements summarize the width, height, and projection of the breasts, as well as, the location of the breasts in reference to each other and to the torso. From our previously gathered database of 3D surface images of the torsos of 505 women who underwent breast reconstruction at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, we selected a sample of 32 women who had implant-based reconstruction and had 3D images before breast surgery and images from at least three months after final implant placement. Using software developed by our team members at the University of Houston, a team member marked fiducial points, which were reviewed by an expert, on the pre-operative and post-operative images to calculate the bra measurements. Using these fiducial points, we measure the size, shape, and symmetry changes in a manner that is directly translatable to clothing design from the pre-operative image to the post-operative image for each patient to identify common changes for implant-based reconstruction. Future work will lend insight into how different types of reconstruction affect bra fit and how bra design can be adapted to improve quality of life after breast reconstruction.

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Section: Fig 1 Significant Morphological Changes Occur After Breastmentioning

confidence: 99%

Correspondence of Breast Measurements for Bra Design After Reconstruction Surgery

Nicklaus¹,

Chu²,

Liu³

et al. 2017

Proceedings of 3DBODY.TECH 2017 - 8th International Conference and Exhibition On 3D Body Scanning and Processing Technologies,

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In clothing industry, the aim is either mass customization for upper body (every day and sports) underwear and clothing according to sizing standards, or for made-to-measure (personal customization) [10] e.g. in post-surgery compression bras [11]. European Standard DIN EN 13402-3:2017-12 [12] requires only underbust and bust circumference for bra size designation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Breast Segmentation Procedure from Upper Body 3D Scans Using Open Source Software Blender

Hassmann¹,

Dastl²,

Krach³

2018

Proceedings of 3DBODY.TECH 2018 - 9th International Conference and Exhibition on 3D Body Scanning and Processing Technologies,

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The definition of 3D Finite Element (FE) volume models of female torso requires geometry information of naked surface and material properties of human tissues. Analog methods determining breast volume by water immersion of breast or plaster casts are still referred to as gold standard [1]. However, the human body surface is nowadays digitized by 3D scanners, which have become handy and affordable in the last years [2,3]. The term segmentation describes the strategy for separating breast tissue region from 3D surface scans of the female thorax. Different segmentation strategies are proposed in literature, either by outline definition [3,4,5,6] or by creating a parametric surface (Coons patch) from boundary curves using fiducial points [1,4]. The volume between breast base (artificial chest wall) and skin surface forms breast volume. In this study, 59 participants (19 to 67 years, bra size 75B to 95G) were scanned with a low-cost hand-held 1 st generation Sense TM 3D scanner (3D Systems Inc., Rock Hill, SC, USA) in two different positions: standing upright on a turntable and lying on the back (supine), both with the palms of their hands resting on the anterior superior iliac spine. The supine position increases the visibility of the inframammary fold, a common problem especially in ptotic breasts [7]. The breast outline was marked with skin marker. From the 3D scan data in *.ply file format containing geometric and color information, triangular elements representing breast tissue and other regions were selected in open source software Blender 2.79b [8]. All selected regions were exported separately as *.stl files for further data processing in FE pre-processor Patran 2014.1 (MSC.Software Corporation, Santa Ana, CA, USA), where breast base was created and breast volume was calculated. Breast volume was compared to bra size and sister size groups, respectively, which usually shows relatively low accordance [9], indicating the importance of application and market specific determination of breast shape and volume.

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“…However, breast cancer mortality rates for women have decreased by 19% over the last decade (New Zealand Guidelines Group, 2009). This is attributed to a multitude of factors including increased public awareness, earlier detection rates, and greater effectiveness of adjuvant treatment (Gho et al, 2014). With the extensive advances being made in the medical field, breast cancer survivors are living longer than ever before (Gho et al, 2014).…”

Section: Statement Of the Problemmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This is attributed to a multitude of factors including increased public awareness, earlier detection rates, and greater effectiveness of adjuvant treatment (Gho et al, 2014). With the extensive advances being made in the medical field, breast cancer survivors are living longer than ever before (Gho et al, 2014). However, despite the positive survival rates, undesired appearance-related side effects such as loss of breasts, tissue damage, deformities in the breast, decreased range of motion, lymphedema, weight gain, muscle loss, and weakness are frequently reported (Collins et al, 2011;Irwin et al, 2005).…”

Section: Statement Of the Problemmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Dressing The Postsurgical Body: An Examination Of Experience, Perceptions, And Body Image With Reconstructive Breast Surgery And Bra Fit

Amoozegar-Montero

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<p><strong>Treatment and recovery for breast cancer are complex and multifaceted. The experience of a mastectomy and reconstructive breast surgery is a direct assault on a particular body part that is considered central to femininity and normative conceptions of feminine beauty. The journey through breast cancer diagnosis, treatment decisions, and recovery into survivorship can present significant changes and challenges to an individual’s physical and psychological self. Although a reconstructive breast procedure is presented as a way to restore the body to its preoperative state and attain a sense of normalcy, reconstructed breasts can look, feel, and behave differently than natural breasts. This thesis explores how women in Aotearoa New Zealand who have undergone a mastectomy and reconstructive breast surgery experience their postsurgical bodies, focusing on perceptions of their reconstructed breasts, body image, and femininity and the role and significance bra choices play in women’s postsurgical lives. A phenomenological and feminist methodology was used to frame the thesis, placing the lived experience of the women who participated in the study at the centre of analysis and acknowledging this information to be a significant contribution to the research. To support this framing, I drew on the concepts of embodiment, body projects, and the ill body. To complement this approach, I used a concurrent triangulation mixed methods research design to analyse multiple layers of data stemming from both a survey and interviews. A survey of 110 participants and 25 in-depth interviews were conducted simultaneously, analysed independently, and then triangulated during interpretation. The quantitative survey data was analysed using descriptive statistics, and the open-ended data along with the qualitative interview data were analysed using a thematic analysis. Three major themes emerged from the interview data: 1) ‘Choosing’ Reconstruction: participants’ decision to undergo reconstructive breast surgery, 2) Changing Bodies: Participants’ relationship with their postsurgical body, and 3) The Power of the bra: Bras and reconstructed breasts. The results of this study provide a deeper understanding of participants’ postoperative experiences with their reconstructed breast and bodies. Specifically, the results present the participants’ strong desire for postoperative normality, the experience of medical pressure to restore the traditionally feminine body, postoperative feelings of disembodiment and embodiment, and an account of the emotions associated with the unfulfilled and unexpected ramifications of breast reconstruction. These findings outline the prevalent issues and concerns with postoperative bras and suggest that a well-fitted bra can contribute to minimizing, if not alleviating, some of the physical and psychological discomforts caused by breast reconstruction. This thesis is the first study in Aotearoa New Zealand to investigate the meaning of bras for women who have undergone a mastectomy and breast reconstruction surgery. It contributes to the literature by providing novel understandings of the role the bra plays in relation to women’s postsurgical bodies and fundamental information on the postoperative experience of women who have undergone reconstructive breast surgery.</strong></p>

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Evidence-based recommendations for building better bras for women treated for breast cancer

Abstract: , J. R. (2014). Evidence-based recommendations for building better bras for women treated for breast cancer. Ergonomics: an international journal of research and practice in human factors and ergonomics, 57 (5), 774-786.

Cited by 13 publications

References 40 publications

Correspondence of Breast Measurements for Bra Design After Reconstruction Surgery

Correspondence of Breast Measurements for Bra Design After Reconstruction Surgery

Breast Segmentation Procedure from Upper Body 3D Scans Using Open Source Software Blender

Dressing The Postsurgical Body: An Examination Of Experience, Perceptions, And Body Image With Reconstructive Breast Surgery And Bra Fit

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