Patient informational needs about breast reconstruction post-mastectomy.

2012 ◽  
Vol 30 (27_suppl) ◽  
pp. 88-88
Author(s):  
Ivy A. Ahmed ◽  
Allison Harvey ◽  
Erica Weiss ◽  
Marni Amsellem

88 Background: For many women, receiving a breast cancer diagnosis is further complicated by decisions they will face about breast reconstruction post-mastectomy. While women are typically provided with some information about reconstruction options, little is known about the perceived value of this information and how it might ultimately affect their decision about reconstruction. The Cancer Support Community investigated these questions in a national sample of women with breast cancer to better understand their information-seeking experiences, knowledge, and decision-making about reconstruction. Methods: In 2011, 439 participants attending Frankly Speaking about Cancer: Spotlight on Breast Reconstruction, a national educational workshop, completed a post-workshop survey (56.4% response rate). 76.2% of respondents were women diagnosed with breast cancer, who reported their decisions about reconstruction as well as their experience receiving information about reconstruction. Results: Respondents were Caucasian (74.8%), black (11.4%), and Hispanic (10.1%), and the mean age was 48.9. Nearly half (42%) of respondents reported low levels of knowledge about breast reconstruction prior to the workshop. Of those eligible for breast reconstruction, 18.2% reported they had decided against reconstruction, 40.7% were considering their options, and 41.1% planned to undergo or had undergone reconstructive procedures. Women reported they would have liked to have had more information prior to reconstruction about a variety of topics, including more information about the procedure (43.6%), how they would look (31.1%) and feel (29.7%) after reconstruction, and information about their future breast health (31.8%). No differences were found in unmet informational needs based on their reconstruction decisional status with one exception: those who decided against reconstruction were more likely to endorse that they would have wanted more information about when to make their decision about reconstruction than the other two groups (chi square=24.6, p <.01). Conclusions: Findings suggest women facing breast reconstruction often are not equipped with comprehensive information about procedures, options, outcomes, and recovery.

2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. 12053-12053
Author(s):  
Marisa C. Weiss ◽  
Stephanie Kjelstrom ◽  
Meghan Buckley ◽  
Adam Leitenberger ◽  
Melissa Jenkins ◽  
...  

12053 Background: A current cancer diagnosis is a risk factor for serious COVID-19 complications (CDC). In addition, the pandemic has caused major disruptions in medical care and support networks, resulting in treatment delays, limited access to doctors, worsening health disparities, social isolation; and driving higher utilization of telemedicine and online resources. Breastcancer.org has experienced a sustained surge of new and repeat users seeking urgent information and support. To better understand these unmet needs, we conducted a survey of the Breastcancer.org Community. Methods: Members of the Breastcancer.org Community were invited to complete a survey on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on their breast cancer care, including questions on demographics, comorbidities (including lung, heart, liver and kidney disease, asthma, diabetes, obesity, and other chronic health conditions); care delays, anxiety due to COVID-related care delays, use of telemedicine, and satisfaction with care during COVID. The survey was conducted between 4/27/2020-6/1/2020 using Survey Monkey. Results were tabulated and compared by chi square test. A p-value of 0.05 is considered significant. Data were analyzed using Stata 16.0 (Stata Corp., Inc, College Station, TX). Results: Our analysis included 568 breast cancer patients of whom 44% had ≥1 other comorbidities associated with serious COVID-19 complications (per CDC) and 37% had moderate to extreme anxiety about contracting COVID. This anxiety increased with the number of comorbidities (p=0.021), age (p=0.040), and with a current breast cancer diagnosis (p=0.011) (see table). Anxiety was significantly higher in those currently diagnosed, ≥65, or with ≥3 other comorbidities, compared to those diagnosed in the past, age <44, or without other comorbidities. Conclusions: Our survey reveals that COVID-related anxiety is prevalent at any age regardless of overall health status, but it increased with the number of other comorbidities, older age, and a current breast cancer diagnosis. Thus, reported anxiety is proportional to the risk of developing serious complications from COVID. Current breast cancer patients of all ages—especially with other comorbidities—require emotional support, safe access to their providers, and prioritization for vaccination.[Table: see text]


2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 97-110
Author(s):  
Lydia Briggs ◽  
Joanne Cooper ◽  
Karen Cox ◽  
Holly Blake

Background Physical and psychological concerns associated with a breast cancer diagnosis continue long after treatment. Macmillan Cancer Support developed an electronic Holistic Needs Assessment (eHNA) to help identify these concerns and allow a healthcare professional to address these as part of The Recovery Package. Aims The study aim was to understand the women’s experiences of having breast cancer, and of completing Macmillan’s eHNA as part of their care. Methods A qualitative approach was adopted. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 15 women, 12–18 months following surgical treatment for invasive breast cancer. Thematic analysis identified key themes. Results Four main themes were identified in relation to experiences of the eHNA, experiences of breast cancer, coping with breast cancer and the psychological effects of surviving. Perceptions towards the eHNA varied; some women viewed the eHNA as a research tool for hospital use rather than a beneficial aspect of their care. Several participants felt unable to raise their psychological concerns on the eHNA. Conclusions Although experiences differ, psychological issues remain a key factor for women with breast cancer, lasting long after treatment. The eHNA is not currently used to its potential or recognised by women as a tool to support their care. Further research is needed into how the eHNA can be used effectively to capture psychological concerns and determine best approaches to implementation of the tool to support individualised care.


Author(s):  
Soo-Kyung Bok ◽  
Youngshin Song ◽  
Ancho Lim ◽  
Hyunsuk Choi ◽  
Hyunkyung Shin ◽  
...  

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Korean version of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life-QLQ-BRECON23 in women diagnosed and treated for breast cancer undergoing all types of breast reconstruction. Methods: A total of 148 Korean women who underwent breast reconstruction were recruited from the breast cancer center to participate in the study. After performing forward and backward translation of the original English version of the questionnaire into Korean, its validity (construct, known-group validity, concurrent) and reliability were assessed. A structural equation model (SEM) was used to assess construct validity. Results: The mean age of the patients was 52 years, and 89.8% underwent implant-based reconstruction. Construct validity using confirmatory factor analysis showed a good fit, and the effect size was small-to-medium regarding known-group validity. Concurrent validity was confirmed by the significant correlation between the QLQ-BRECON23 and the QLQ-BR23. The reliability of the QLQ-BRECON23 symptom and function scales ranged from 0.61 to 0.87. Conclusion: The Korean QLQ-BRECON23 can be applied to assess quality of life and its related factors, and also to internationally compare the level of quality of life in breast cancer patients undergoing breast reconstruction.


2012 ◽  
Vol 30 (27_suppl) ◽  
pp. 87-87
Author(s):  
Ivy A. Ahmed ◽  
Allison Harvey ◽  
Marni Amsellem

87 Background: Women living with advanced breast cancer have distinct often unmet needs, even compared to other women with breast cancer. For the past five years, the Cancer Support Community has been committed to delivering Frankly Speaking About Cancer: Advanced Breast Cancer, a comprehensive psychosocial education program created for women with metastatic breast cancer and their families. The program’s clinically facilitated evidence-based education workshops have reached 2,690 attendees since its inception in 2006. The workshop provides valuable information about current treatments, clinical trials, side-effect management, and social and emotional challenges of an advanced breast cancer diagnosis. Workshop outcomes are analyzed annually, informing program content and ensuring the program is meeting the needs of those served. As the program enters its sixth year, data were consolidated across years to investigate how the program has been meeting the needs of these women and their loved ones. Methods: 1,827 workshop attendees since the program’s beginning have completed evaluations (68% response rate) which included assessing levels of pre- and post-workshop knowledge about advanced breast cancer, patient-provider communication, and general workshop feedback. Results: 64.9% of respondents were survivors, 78.5% were Caucasian, and the average age was 56. Most workshop respondents (89.6%) reported gaining a high or very high level of knowledge about advanced breast cancer, with significant increases compared with pre-workshop levels (p <.01). Most reported intent to increase communication with their clinical team following the workshop. A majority reported feeling better equipped to ask questions to their health care team (92.1%), and discuss the possibility of clinical trials with their healthcare team (77.7%). Furthermore, 90% of attendees felt confident that after the workshop they could speak knowledgably about side effects of cancer treatment with their doctor, a key issue in regards to quality of life. Conclusions: Taken together, the data indicate the continued relevance of this program for those affected by advanced breast cancer.


Breast Care ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 368-373 ◽  
Author(s):  
Max Dieterich ◽  
Adrian Dragu ◽  
Angrit Stachs ◽  
Johannes Stubert

Breast reconstruction after breast cancer is an emotional subject for women. Consequently, the correct timing and surgical procedure for each individual woman are important. In general, heterologous or autologous reconstructive procedures are available, both having advantages and disadvantages. Breast size, patient habitus, and previous surgeries or radiation therapy need to be considered, independent of the chosen procedure. New surgical techniques, refinement of surgical procedures, and the development of supportive materials have increased the general patient collective eligible for breast reconstruction. This review highlights the different approaches to immediate breast reconstruction using autologous or heterologous techniques.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-103
Author(s):  
Valter Augusto de Freitas Barbosa ◽  
David Edson Ribeiro ◽  
Clarisse Lins de Lima ◽  
Maíra Araújo de Santana ◽  
Ricardo Emmanuel de Souza ◽  
...  

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women, affecting 2.1 million women per year worldwide. The best strategy for decreasing disease morbidity and mortality is early detection. Mammography is the most used exam for the diagnosis of breast cancer. However, this technique uses ionizing radiation and causes discomfort to the patient. One promising technique that can be used for early detection of breast cancer is electrical impedance tomography (EIT), which is an imaging technique free of ionizing radiation. Yet, its images still have low resolution, making it difficult to use in breast cancer diagnosis. Thus, the development of new reconstruction methods aiming better resolution is necessary. This work evaluates the performance of the reconstruction algorithm based on fish school search with non-blind search in a 3,190 finite element mesh.


2015 ◽  
Vol 86 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomasz Zieliński ◽  
Katarzyna Lorenc-Podgórska ◽  
Bogusław Antoszewski

AbstractBreast cancer is the most common malignancy occurring in women. The treatment of breast cancer is a complex, multistep process involving surgical treatment, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, hormone therapy, targeted therapy, and very often rehabilitation. After the treatment of the underlying disease, or still in its course, there remains a problem of deformation of the chest. Although the number of women opting for breast reconstructive surgery increases every year, the number of such procedures in Poland is low.was to investigate the reasons why women after amputation of the breast due to cancer are not likely to undergo breast reconstructive surgery.The study comprised 73 women, residents of the province of Silesia, aged between 37 and 79 years, who had undergone mastectomy for malignancy in the years 1987-2013.From all of the reasons given by women for refraining from breast reconstruction, the most frequently pointed was the fear of being subjected to further surgery (38.3%). 23 women (31.5%) admitted that they were also afraid of postoperative pain. Similarly, a common response (35.6%) was that it is not essential for their mental state, and 30% of respondents fully accepted their appearance after mastectomy. Concern about the effect of failed reconstruction was reported by 24.6% of the women, and the fear that the surgery could negatively affect the process of cancer treatment by 27.4% of respondents. Lack of information about the capabilities and knowledge of breast reconstruction methods was not an important factor in decision-making.Most of the surveyed women who abandon breast reconstruction surgery, make this decision on the basis of more than one reasons. Fear of undergoing a second surgical procedure and pain related to it were the most important reasons for the refusal of breast reconstruction. An important factor in the decision to desist from breast reconstruction is the age of the patients.


2021 ◽  
pp. 80-87
Author(s):  
Aska Arnautovic ◽  
Sigurast Olafsson ◽  
Julia Wong ◽  
Shailesh Agarwal ◽  
Justin Broyles

Background: Post-mastectomy radiation therapy (PMRT) is a key component in managing breast cancer with increased potential for locoregional recurrence. Breast reconstruction has evolved to include various techniques that can be categorized according to the type of reconstruction (implant-based versus autologous reconstruction), and the timing of reconstruction (one versus two-step techniques). Methods/Results: This review article aims to provide a digestible summary of PMRT in the context of breast reconstruction by summarizing salient existing literature with a focus on considerations of the plastic surgeon. The main findings summarized in this review include the technique and timing of breast reconstruction, how breast reconstruction can affect radiation delivery, and the type of reconstruction. Within implant-based reconstruction, existing data on the location of the implant in the context of PMRT and PMRT delivery to the tissue expander versus permanent implant are reviewed. Each consideration may alter the probability of successful reconstruction and patient satisfaction.Conclusion: It is essential for the multidisciplinary breast cancer team to have knowledge of the various reconstructive options, and to understand the safety and comparative effectiveness of staged reconstruction in the setting of PMRT. Additionally, one must consider that reconstructive procedures may have implications on the timely administration of PMRT. This review serves as a reference for members of the oncologic care team when discussing reconstructive options with patients who will receive PMRT as part of their treatment plan.


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