Lead researcher Julia H. Rowland, PhD and her colleagues sent questionnaires to a total of 1,957 breast cancer survivors one to five years after their diagnosis. Dr. Rowland and her colleagues were surprised to find that many women who had undergone breast reconstruction after mastectomy were not satisfied with their body image. However, the researchers suggested that some of these women may have wanted to have lumpectomies but were not good candidates for breast-conserving surgery. In the study, women who had mastectomies with breast reconstruction tended to be younger than those in the lumpectomy or mastectomy groups and were more likely to be white, have a sexual partner, and a college education. Patients who are pregnant at time of radiation therapy Patients who are very worried about breast cancer recurrence and less concerned with body image Women who are planning to undergo mastectomy are encouraged to discuss breast reconstruction options with their physicians.
Some women choose to delay reconstruction until after they finish breast cancer treatment.
Immediate or delayed breast reconstruction is possible in many instances after mastectomy. Copyright 1997-2001 Imaginis Corporation. All rights reserved. Imaginis is a registered service mark of Imaginis Corporation, a health services company. All other trademarks and copyrights are property of their respective owners.