Breast reconstruction can have lasting benefits

	Tweet

Breast reconstruction after cancer surgery can have lasting benefits for women’s psychological well-being and body image, a new study suggests.

Research has shown that for women who have a mastectomy to treat breast cancer, reconstructive surgery can provide a psychological lift, helping to improve self-esteem and body image.

But whether those benefits last—and whether they differ based on the type of breast reconstruction—has been less clear.

In the current study, of 173 breast reconstruction patients, researchers found that many of the psychological gains women had shortly after the surgery were still apparent two years later.

On average, the women were still reporting improvements in energy, anxiety and ability to work and enjoy social activities.

And the type of reconstruction had “surprisingly limited effect,” according to the researchers, led by Dr. Dunya Atisha of the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor.

They report the findings in the June issue of the Annals of Surgery.

The study included 173 women who had undergone breast reconstruction at one of 12 U.S. medical centers. The majority had immediate reconstruction, done at the time of their mastectomy, but some waited to have the procedure.

The patients also varied in the type of reconstruction they had. The majority underwent a procedure known as TRAM, where tissue from the lower abdomen is used to reconstruct the breast, while about one-quarter were given artificial implants.

In general, Atisha’s team found, the long-term psychological benefits were similar regardless of the type of surgery the women had. There were some differences, however, between women who’d had immediate reconstruction and those who’d delayed the procedure.

Women in the latter group tended to have fewer gains in psychological well-being—the one exception being body-image improvements.

The reasons for the differences between the two groups are not clear. But the decision to delay breast reconstruction is not always based on a woman’s preferences; some women, for example, may need to delay the procedure because they are having radiation therapy after their mastectomy.

According to Atisha’s team, studies should continue to follow breast reconstruction patients over the long term to see how different procedures ultimately affect their psychological well-being.

SOURCE: Annals of Surgery, June 2008.

RELATED STORIES:
Breast Cancer Genetic Tests Validated for African-Americans   Identification of 5 genes involved in the metastasis of breast tumors to the lung   Breast cancer returns more often in black women   Yoga provides emotional benefits to women with breast cancer   Breast Reconstruction Varies by Race   Online prayer may benefit breast cancer patients   Breast self-exams do not appear to reduce breast cancer deaths   New Treatment Paradigms for Breast Cancer: Managing the Flow of New Data   98 percent of elective mastectomy patients would have reconstruction again, says ASPS study   New study of targeted therapies for breast cancer—model for global clinical trials   Health providers should emphasize breast cancer screening, Wayne State University research finds   Less than Half of Breast Cancer Patients Follow Hormone Therapy   Removing 2mm around breast cancer tumors prevents residual disease in 98 percent of patients   Research on Tamoxifen Leads to Recommendation for CYP2D6 Gene Test   GW researchers reveal digital transcriptome of breast cancer   Rare type of breast cancer on the rise in the U.S.   Breast cancer risk tied to grandmother’s diet   Revolutionary Therapy Slows Tumor Growth in Advanced Breast Cancer   Exercise after age 30 may curb breast cancer risk   ‘Microtentacles’ on tumor cells appear to play role in how breast cancer spreads   Mammographic density and risk of breast cancer   Breast cancer pain more severe in non-whites

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]