OBJECTIVES

The aim of the study was to verify the following hypotheses: (1) Do women who have undergone surgical treatment for breast cancer differ from healthy women in the way they experience their body (body self)?; (2) Does the surgical technique (mastectomy vs. breast conserving treatment) differentiate the group in terms of experiencing their body after the surgery?; (3) Do demographic variables, BMI, breast size and the evaluation of the scar differentiate the group in terms of experiencing their body self after the surgery?

METHODS

In order to gain some insight into how women experience their body after breast surgery, the Body Self Questionnaire designed in 2005 by Beata Mirucka was used. The analysis included data from 50 women who completed surveys. This data were compared to the control group. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics package, version 24, with a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA).

RESULTS

Statistically significant differences were obtained between the entire group of women after breast surgery (mastectomy and BCT, jointly) and the control group of healthy women in three aspects of the Body Self Questionnaire: body acceptance, manifesting femininity and experiencing an intimate relation with a partner.

CONCLUSIONS

Surgical treatment of breast cancer is significantly associated with the way patients experience their body, which is expressed in three dimensions of the body self in treated women.