Quality of life outcomes in patients with breast cancer in an Amazon city: the impact of breast reconstruction

Abstract

Introduction: Malignant neoplasms are considered a public health problem due to the high rates of morbidity and mortality presented worldwide, particularly those associated with breast cancer. Methods: This is a qualitative exploratory study that included 32 volunteers affected by breast cancer who were followed up at a public brazilian hospital in Macapá city. The volunteers were divided into two groups: group 1 (n=16) consisting of mastectomized volunteers and group 2 (n=16) by mastectomized volunteers with breast reconstruction; both groups were evaluated using the SF-36 (Medical Outcomes Study 36). Results: The results showed that mastectomized women without breast reconstruction presented a very low level of quality of life and those who did breast reconstruction presented better mean scores in all aspects evaluated when compared to the group without reconstruction (except in the social aspect, p>0.05). However, even those with breast reconstruction had an important impact in all areas of the quality of life questionnaire. Conclusions: The domains analysis made it possible to understand the negative impact that mastectomy and breast reconstruction have on the woman's life, besides noting that the maintenance of an esthetic state closer to normality is determinant for the quality of life of these women. However, new studies must be carried out to obtain statistically more relevant values.