The patients perception of her breast following radiation and limited surgery.
Seventy-four patients followed from 1 to 8 years post completion of breast-conserving surgery and radiation for early-stage breast cancer were asked to answer a questionnaire exploring their perception and awareness of the treated breast. The questionnaire was divided into several sections, including "Daily Activities", Pre-menstrual Changes", "Sexual Activities", and a summary "Satisfaction Index" section; when appropriate, comparisons were sought between the treated and untreated breasts. Preliminary results from this study indicate that 70% of all patients are aware of their treated breast in some way during everyday activities. The "Satisfaction Index" of this patient group is very high, with 75% rating their cosmetic result, and 81% their functional result "8" or higher on a scale of "0" to "10","10" indicating "best" or "normal".
McCormick
B
B
Dept. of Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10021.
Yahalom
J
J
Cox
L
L
Shank
B
B
Massie
M J
MJ
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001364:Awareness; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology* / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015412:Mastectomy, Segmental / Q000523:psychology*; D008597:Menstrual Cycle / Q000502:physiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D010465:Perception; D012723:Sex