Harerimana Alexis, Mchunu Gugu
Faculty of Health Sciences, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa.
College of Healthcare Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Australia.
BMC Womens Health. 2025 Aug 13;25(1):392. doi: 10.1186/s12905-025-03858-1.
Breast cancer survivorship is increasingly prevalent, yet quality of life (QoL) outcomes post-mastectomy remain a critical concern in Africa. Women post-mastectomy encounter significant physical, psychological, social, and sexual health challenges that are inadequately addressed in clinical settings. Using standardised tools to measure QoL post-mastectomy of women is imperative. Thus, this scoping review aims to map evidence on the use of standardised tools to measure post-mastectomy quality of life among women in Africa.
This scoping review followed the Levac et al. framework. A systematic search-between 2015 and 2025 across Africa-yielded 473 records: 345 from five databases-CINAHL (n = 22), Emcare (n = 55), Medline (n = 65), Scopus (n = 78), and Web of Science (n = 125)-and 128 from other sources. Ultimately, 34 studies met the inclusion criteria for data extraction and thematic analysis. The review followed PRISMA-ScR guidelines.
The 34 studies reviewed involved 5466 participants. Mean ages ranged from 38 to 57 years. QoL post-mastectomy was evaluated using standardised tools such as the EORTC QLQ-C30/BR23, WHOQOL-BREF, BREAST-Q, and FACT-B. Several studies translated and validated QoL assessment tools into local languages, notably Arabic and Yoruba, enhancing contextual relevance. Mastectomy negatively affected overall QoL, body image, psychological wellbeing, sexual functioning, and social relationships. Educational and psychosocial interventions enhanced QoL, particularly those integrating self-compassion training, physical rehabilitation, and group counselling.
QoL post-mastectomy among women in Africa is significantly compromised; however, targeted psychosocial and rehabilitation interventions show promise in improving survivorship outcomes. Future research should emphasise culturally sensitive, multidisciplinary programs and adopt longitudinal designs to assess sustained effects on QoL.
This scoping review emphasises the need for comprehensive post-mastectomy care that includes physical, psychological, sexual, social and financial aspects. Culturally sensitive and accessible interventions are essential for improving the quality of life and long-term outcomes for women in Africa.
乳腺癌幸存者日益增多，但乳房切除术后的生活质量（QoL）结果在非洲仍是一个关键问题。乳房切除术后的女性面临重大的身体、心理、社会和性健康挑战，而临床环境对此关注不足。使用标准化工具来衡量女性乳房切除术后的生活质量势在必行。因此，本范围综述旨在梳理有关使用标准化工具来衡量非洲女性乳房切除术后生活质量的证据。
本范围综述遵循了Levac等人的框架。在2015年至2025年期间对非洲进行的系统检索产生了473条记录：其中345条来自五个数据库——CINAHL（n = 22）、Emcare（n = 55）、Medline（n = 65）、Scopus（n = 78）和Web of Science（n = 125），128条来自其他来源。最终，34项研究符合数据提取和主题分析的纳入标准。该综述遵循PRISMA-ScR指南。
所综述的34项研究涉及5466名参与者。平均年龄在38岁至57岁之间。使用诸如欧洲癌症研究与治疗组织生活质量核心问卷C30/乳腺癌模块23（EORTC QLQ-C30/BR23）、世界卫生组织生活质量简表（WHOQOL-BREF）、乳房-Q（BREAST-Q）和癌症治疗功能评价系统-乳腺癌量表（FACT-B）等标准化工具对乳房切除术后的生活质量进行评估。多项研究将生活质量评估工具翻译成当地语言并进行了验证，尤其是阿拉伯语和约鲁巴语，增强了与实际情况的相关性。乳房切除术对总体生活质量、身体形象、心理健康、性功能和社会关系产生了负面影响。教育和心理社会干预提高了生活质量，特别是那些整合了自我同情训练、身体康复和团体咨询的干预措施。
非洲女性乳房切除术后的生活质量受到显著影响；然而，有针对性的心理社会和康复干预措施在改善生存结果方面显示出前景。未来的研究应强调文化敏感的多学科项目，并采用纵向设计来评估对生活质量的持续影响。
本范围综述强调了乳房切除术后全面护理的必要性，包括身体、心理、性、社会和经济方面。文化敏感且可及的干预措施对于提高非洲女性的生活质量和长期结果至关重要。
