PD04-05: Body Image Issues in Young Breast Cancer Patients: The Impact of Chemotherapy, Hormone Treatment, and Surgery.
Authors: Rosenberg SM , Tamimi RM , Gelber S , Kereakoglow S , Borges V , Come S , Schapira L , Winer E , Partridge A 
Published: June 2012

Background: While there is evidence that younger women with breast cancer are more likely to experience compromised quality of life compared to older women, few studies have prospectively explored the impact of treatment, including surgery, chemotherapy, and hormone therapy, on body image, in particular, in very young women (≤40 years old). This analysis examined treatment-associated differences in self-reported body image among a large cohort of young women diagnosed with breast cancer.

Methods: 431 women enrolled in an ongoing multi-center prospective cohort study with Stage 0-Stage III breast cancer were included in this analysis. Body image was measured at baseline (1-12 months following diagnosis) using three items from the Cancer Rehabilitation Evaluation System (CARES) survey. CARES scores range from 0–4, with higher scores indicative of greater image concerns. Mean differences in CARES scores between treatment groups (chemotherapy within the last month vs. none; hormone therapy vs. none; lumpectomy vs. mastectomy alone vs. mastectomy + reconstruction) were estimated using T-tests and one-way ANOVA. To control for concurrent treatment, stage, and time since diagnosis, multiple linear regression models were fit and least squares means estimated and compared between treatment groups. Multiple comparisons were adjusted for using the Bonferroni correction.

Results: Median age at diagnosis was 37 (range: 17–40) and median time from diagnosis to study enrollment was 5 months (range: 1–12 months). In the unadjusted analysis, there were no significant differences in scores between women who had received chemotherapy within the last month and those who did not (p=0.80), while women who reported hormone treatment had higher mean CARES scores compared to women who did not (p=0.04). Among women who had undergone surgery (n=370), women who had lumpectomies had a mean CARES score of 0.95, which was significantly lower (p&lt;.0001) compared to both women who had undergone mastectomy alone (CARES: 1.89) and women who reported mastectomy + reconstruction (CARES: 1.53). After adjusting for concurrent treatment (including radiation), time since diagnosis, and stage of disease, only differences between surgical groups remained significant (p&lt;.0001), with mean scores among women who had either undergone mastectomy alone (CARES: 2.02) or together with reconstruction (CARES: 1.58) higher compared to those who had a breast conserving procedure (CARES: 0.92) Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, this is the largest analysis of treatment-related body image issues in young women with breast cancer. Treatment with chemotherapy and hormonal therapy did not appear to affect short-term body image. However, women who had a breast conserving procedure had the fewest body image concerns as measured by the CARES, while women undergoing more radical surgery appear to be at increased risk for low perceived body image though this may be mitigated to a degree by reconstruction. Further analyses will explore whether differences between surgical groups persist over time as well as examine the trajectory of change over the course of follow-up.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2011;71(24 Suppl):Abstract nr PD04-05.