Psychological and Aesthetic Outcomes in Breast Cancer Patients

Abstract

Background: Patients who undergo breast cancer treatment require psychosocial and aesthetic rehabilitation. Advantages of breast reconstruction in-patient rehabilitation are well known. Oncoplastic organ-preserving surgery offers aesthetically better results, yet is often considered less safe than more radical procedures. We compared the aesthetic and psychological outcomes in patients undergoing breast reconstruction and oncoplastic breast cancer treatment. Methods: In total, 1130 patients who received either breast reconstruction or oncoplastic breast cancer surgery were included in the study. Patients were classified into two groups. Group 1 included 510 patients who received breast reconstruction surgery. Group 2 included 620 patients who received oncoplastic surgery. The following aspects were compared between the two groups: demographics, tumor progression, and immunohistochemical aspects, complications, hospitalization stay, and psychological and aesthetic outcomes. Results: Patients in the oncoplastic group showed statistically significant higher psychosocial and aesthetic outcomes, as well as lower incidence of complications, revision rate, disease progression, and recurrence. The majority of oncoplastic patients were treated in early stages of breast cancer. Conclusion: Offering superior treatment results, oncoplastic organ-preserving surgery should be favored in patients with earlier stages of cancer progression.

Evolution of breast conserving surgery—current implementation of oncoplastic techniques in breast conserving surgery: a literature review

“…Research in the field of literature indicates that patients tend to experience improved physical and psychological health when oncoplastic surgery techniques are employed, as opposed to undergoing mastectomy with or without reconstruction ( 79 ). Additionally, the average psychosocial well-being score in the BREAST-Q questionnaire is notably higher in patients who undergo O-BCS when compared to those who opt for simple S-BCS alone (41.94±5.78 versus 38.02±7.21; with a statistically significant P value of <0.0001) ( 80 ).…”