Fw: Breast Reconstruction May Not Improve Life Quality

[Guest guest]

Tough position to be in, with breast cancer, but for me, I'll choose health

over a breast any day!

Patty

From: " ilena rose " <ilena@...>

Sent: Friday, March 30, 2001 7:34 PM

Subject: Breast Reconstruction May Not Improve Life Quality

> The New York Times

> http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/health/health-breast.html?searchpv=reuters

>

> March 30, 2001

>

> Breast Reconstruction May Not Improve Life Quality

>

> By REUTERS

>

> Filed at 5:52 p.m. ET

>

> NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Though women with breast cancer often choose

> reconstructive surgery because they feel it will help them maintain a good

> body

> image, the surgery is no guarantee of better long-term quality of life,

new

> research indicates.

>

> The study, in the April 1st issue of Cancer, followed 198 women with

> early-stage

> breast cancer who received either breast-conserving surgery (52%),

> mastectomy with

> reconstruction (20%) or mastectomy alone (28%). Quality of life was

> monitored for

> 2 years following surgery, looking at changes in mood and sense of

well-being.

>

> Women who had a mastectomy with reconstruction had greater mood

> disturbances and

> a poorer sense of well-being than those who received mastectomy alone,

> according

> to Dr. J. Nissen and co-authors from the Park Nicollet Institute in

> Minneapolis, Minnesota.

>

> These differences may be due, in part, to the longer surgery,

> hospitalization and

> length of stay due to the reconstructive operation, as well as the greater

> postoperative pain, Nissen and colleagues suggest.

>

> When the investigators compared mastectomy alone to breast-conserving

> surgery with

> regard to long-term quality of life, no significant difference was found.

>

> ``A woman shouldn't take it for granted that reconstruction is going to

> improve her

> quality of life,'' Nissen told Reuters Health. ``She needs to consider all

her

> options, talk it over it with (her) doctor, and make a decision on an

> individual basis.''

>

> SOURCE: Cancer 2001;91:1238-1246.

>

> Copyright 2001 The New York Times Company

>

> __________________________________________________

>