My vision on breast cancer surgery

Before-After

This is particularly important when the treatment of cancer is causing a major damage to the image and the self-confidence of the patient. The following example of this 40 year-old woman is quite relevant: in addition to the mutilation that represents a mastectomy, she also suffered the consequences of chemotherapy that lead to hair loss and an early menopause. The additional radiotherapy has even aggravated that shock by making the skin tissues more fibrous and sensitive. The breast reconstruction was an essential factor to the rebuilding of her image on the outside, making her self-confident again and reaching a physical and psychological balance following her cancer treatment. .

However, things are not always that simple. One must take into account what every patient personally wishes for, depending on the context. For instance, some patients are not interested by a breast reconstruction after a full mastectomy. Either because they don’t want to undertake another operation unless it’s an absolute necessity or feel too old for this; or on the contrary because they are young and very active and cannot find time to undertake surgery again.

Moreover, it is important to consider the image that each patient has of her own breasts, that doesn’t always fit the “esthetic standards” and ask them: Are you satisfied with your breasts?

My friend Pr. Angelo Matthes from Ribeirao Preto, Brazil has conducted a survey in his university, at the occasion of gynecological consultations, on a field of 3481 patients. It showed that 67.8% of patients were satisfied with their breasts, 30% unsatisfied, and 2.2% very unsatisfied. Overall, from my experience, the same figures could be verified in Strasbourg, France.

Most patients are satisfied with their breasts and prefer a simple intervention that can make them feel like the way it was before.  But a third of the patients are dissatisfied with their breasts and can benefit from cancer surgery to improve their current situation.