Reasons why mastectomy patients do not have breast reconstruction

Breast reconstruction after mastectomy is valuable, yet only a small percentage of eligible patients ever have reconstruction. Little has been done to determine why so few patients proceed with reconstructive surgery. A homogeneous population of mastectomy patients, some of whom underwent breast reconstruction while others did not, were surveyed regarding their attitudes about breast reconstruction. A total of 245 women were surveyed. One-hundred and fifty-eight (64 percent) responded, 71 of whom had been reconstructed while 87 had not. Comparison of the responses of the two groups suggests factors that play a role in determining whether the mastectomy patient will accept or decline the option of breast reconstruction. Considerations that made it less likely that a woman would pursue reconstruction included advanced age at the time of mastectomy, concern about complications from further surgery, uncertainty about outcome, and fear about the effect of reconstruction on future problems with breast cancer. Marital status, receiving chemotherapy, or knowing a patient who had a bad result from reconstruction did not affect the decision. An awareness and understanding of these factors may be helpful to physicians in counseling patients and in increasing the number of women who enjoy the benefits of breast reconstruction.