Reconstruction options for locally advanced breast cancer cases and their impact on the quality of life

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Radical surgical procedures are indicated for part of the patients with locally advanced breast cancer (LABC). The improvement in the use of myocutaneous flaps allowed surgeons to perform extensive resections, a procedure that can be traumatic for women, leading to several biopsychosocial complications in a shortened survival. Objectives: This study aimed at understanding the effects of surgical treatment on the quality of survival of patients with guarded and unchanging prognosis. Methodology: The project was designed in two stages review of medical records with a sample of 27 cases and face-to-face interviews with the administration of questionnaires in a sample of five cases among the remaining patients who underwent LABC surgery at Hospital Erasto Gaertner in Curitiba (PR). Results: On average, the answers obtained with the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) instrument were "regular" for physical, psychological, and environmental domains and "good" for the social relations domain. In the 12-item short-form survey (SF-12), the means were 45,125 points for the mental component and 40,875 points for the physical one. These values show the impact of advanced disease, hygienic surgery, and chest reconstruction on the quality of life of the patients, reflecting the biopsychosocial damage caused by LABC. Conclusion: The data reveal that LABC treatment is aggressive, but in patients with survival, the surgical treatment associated with chest reconstruction had surprisingly positive results in relation to quality of life.