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Contentment with quality of life among breast cancer survivors with and without contralateral prophylactic mastectomy.

Geiger AM, West CN, Nekhlyudov L, Herrinton LJ, Liu IL, Altschuler A, Rolnick SJ, Harris EL, Greene SM, Elmore JG, Emmons KM, Fletcher SW

Research and Evaluation Department, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Pasadena, USA. ageiger@wfubmc.edu

PURPOSE: To understand psychosocial outcomes after prophylactic removal of the contralateral breast in women with unilateral breast cancer. METHODS: We mailed surveys to women with contralateral prophylactic mastectomy after breast cancer diagnosis between 1979 and 1999 at six health care delivery systems, and to a smaller random sample of women with breast cancer without the procedure. Measures were modeled on instruments developed to assess contentment with quality of life, body image, sexual satisfaction, breast cancer concern, depression, and health perception. We examined associations between quality of life and the other domains using logistic regression. RESULTS: The response rate was 72.6%. Among 519 women who underwent contralateral prophylactic mastectomy, 86.5% were satisfied with their decision; 76.3% reported high contentment with quality of life compared with 75.4% of 61 women who did not undergo the procedure (P = .88). Among all case subjects, less contentment with quality of life was not associated with contralateral prophylactic mastectomy or demographic characteristics, but was associated with poor or fair general health perception (odds ratio [OR], 7.0; 95% CI, 3.4 to 14.1); possible depression (OR, 5.4; 95% CI, 3.1 to 9.2); dissatisfaction with appearance when dressed (OR, 3.5; 95% CI, 2.0 to 6.0); self-consciousness about appearance (OR, 2.0; 95% CI, 1.1 to 3.7); and avoiding thoughts about breast cancer (modest: OR, 2.2; 95% CI, 1.1 to 4.5; highest: OR, 1.7; 95% CI, 0.9 to 3.2). CONCLUSION: Most women undergoing contralateral prophylactic mastectomy report satisfaction with their decision and experience psychosocial outcomes similar to breast cancer survivors without the procedure.

Published 21 March 2006 in J Clin Oncol, 24(9): 1350-6.
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