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. 2024 Nov:237:115895.
doi: 10.1016/j.amjsurg.2024.115895. Epub 2024 Aug 14.

Body image and psychosocial effects in women after treatment of breast cancer: A prospective study

Inge Scheel Andersen  1 , Ditte Mee Ran Jensen  2 , Kasper Grosen  3 , Kristine Tang Bennedsgaard  4 , Lise Ventzel  5 , Nanna Brix Finnerup  6
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Free article

Body image and psychosocial effects in women after treatment of breast cancer: A prospective study

Inge Scheel Andersen et al. Am J Surg. 2024 Nov.
Free article

Abstract

Purpose: To explore treatment-related, socio-economic, and psychological factors influencing body image and return to work.

Materials and methods: 137 patients participated in the study. A questionnaire was completed before surgery and at 1-year follow-up, where patients were also interviewed in person with questions modified from the Body Image Scale and the sexual adjustment scale as well as questions about their work status.

Results: There was a significant decline in body image score from baseline to 1-year follow-up related to younger age, more extensive surgery and post-surgery treatments. Treatment with adjuvant chemotherapy was associated with a lower rating on ability to work in relation to mental requirements and later return to work. Higher anxiety scores at baseline were associated with both a decline in body image and a delay in return to work.

Conclusion: Breast cancer surgery can affect body image and especially adjuvant chemotherapy seems to affect work ability. However, personal characteristics are also involved and thus should be considered when planning for treatment of breast cancer.

Keywords: Body image; Breast cancer; Health-related quality of life; Return to work.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of competing interest Nanna Brix Finnerup has received consultancy fees from PharmNovo, Vertex, NeuroPN, Saniona, Nanobiotix, and Neurvati, and has undertaken consultancy work for Aarhus University with remunerated work for Biogen, Merz, and Confo Therapeutics outside the submitted work. She has received grants from IMI2PainCare an EU IMI 2 (Innovative medicines initiative) public-private consortium and the companies involved are: Grunenthal, Bayer, Eli Lilly, Esteve, and Teva, outside the submitted work. The other authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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