Patient satisfaction and quality of life in breast reconstruction: assessment of outcomes of immediate, delayed, and nonreconstruction.

Abstract

Objectives: This study was conducted aiming to assess the quality of life and satisfaction of mastectomized women treated with and without breast reconstruction. Results: A total of 81 patients mastectomized were included, of whom 53 (65.4%) underwent breast reconstruction. Quality of life was not significantly better in the reconstruction group than the nonreconstruction group. Satisfaction with the surgically operated breast, whether reconstructed or not, was positively correlated with quality of life (p = 0.004). There was no significant difference in quality of life between women with immediate and late reconstruction. This study showed that the satisfaction of patients with the operated breast, reconstructed or not, is more important in quality of life than whether the breast was reconstructed or not. When we analyzed the quality of life of mastectomized women who were dissatisfied with their unreconstructed breasts, we observed that nonreconstruction had a negative impact on the quality of life. Keywords: Breast cancer, Mastectomy, Breast reconstruction, Quality of life