The satisfaction of patients with breast cancer undergone immediate reconstruction with implant and the effect of radiotherapy

Abstract

Background: Postmastectomy reconstructive surgery for cosmetic satisfaction of patients is rapidly increasing. Postoperative complications such asinfection, capsular contracture, implant loss are more common in patientswho receive adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) than those who do not. Satisfactionlevels in patients is still a controversial issue. Therefore, we wanted toinvestigate our patient population for the effects of RT and planned a studyevaluating the satisfaction rates of our patients who received implants.Material and Methods: Seventy five breast cancer patients who wentthrough mastectomy and went through reconstruction using expanders orsilicone implants were surveyed. Complication and cosmetic satisfactionrates were separately compared between irradiated and nonirradiatedimplants. Responses of 46 patients who answered the survey were analyzedusing chi-square test and Mann Whitney U test. p < 0.05 was consideredstatistically significant.Results: Thirty-one of the patients received adjuvant RT and 15 did notreceive RT (NRT). There was no difference between the RT and NRT groupsin the terms of touch, size, shape of silicones, pain and satisfaction level inlook of clothing. Only satisfaction in symmetry was significantly lower in theRT group than in the NRT group (p = 0.02). Additionally, patients receiving