title: Mastectomy: impact on patients and families.
abstract: Although the psychosocial implications of breast cancer and related surgery for the patient have received increasing recognition, little attention has been paid in the literature thus far to the impact of breast cancer on patients' families and friends. This article reviews the literature dealing with the "significant others" of patients and considers their personal reactions to the patient's illness, their influence on the patient's well-being, and their need for counseling.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001828:Body Image; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology* / Q000601:surgery; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D004644:Emotions; D005006:Ethnicity; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008408:Mastectomy / Q000523:psychology*; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D012380:Role; D014481:United States