제 1저자                    교신저자

                                                                                                               강단비 선임연구원               조주희 교수

                                                                                                            (SAIHST 선임연구원)     (SAIHST 전임교수)

Palliative and Supportive Care 출판





 

Palliat Support Care. 2017 Mar 6:1-9. doi: 10.1017/S1478951517000062.

Distress and body image due to altered appearance in posttreatment and active treatment of breast cancer patients and in general population controls.

 

Danbee Kang, Eun-Kyung Choi, Im-Ryung Kim, Seok Jin Nam, Jeong Eon Lee, Young-Hyuck Im, Jin Seok Ahn, Yeon Hee Park and Juhee Cho.

 

Abstract

 

OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to evaluate long-term altered appearance, distress, and body image in posttreatment breast cancer patients and compare them with those of patients undergoing active treatment and with general population controls.

 

METHOD: We conducted a cross-sectional survey between May and December of 2010. We studied 138 breast cancer patients undergoing active treatment and 128 posttreatment patients from 23 Korean hospitals and 315 age- and area-matched subjects drawn from the general population. Breast, hair, and skin changes, distress, and body image were assessed using visual analogue scales and the EORTC BR-23. Average levels of distress were compared across groups, and linear regression was utilized to identify the factors associated with body image.

 

RESULTS: Compared to active-treatment patients, posttreatment patients reported similar breast changes (6.6 vs. 6.2), hair loss (7.7 vs. 6.7), and skin changes (5.8 vs. 5.4), and both groups had significantly more severe changes than those of the general population controls (p < 0.01). For a similar level of altered appearance, however, breast cancer patients experienced significantly higher levels of distress than the general population. In multivariate analysis, patients with high altered appearance distress reported significantly poorer body image (-20.7, CI 95% = -28.3 to -13.1) than patients with low distress.

 

SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS: Posttreatment breast cancer patients experienced similar levels of altered appearance, distress, and body-image disturbance relative to patients undergoing active treatment but significantly higher distress and poorer body image than members of the general population. Healthcare professionals should acknowledge the possible long-term effects of altered appearance among breast cancer survivors and help them to manage the associated distress and psychological consequences.