Most women opting out of breast reconstruction ‘satisfied’

It helps to have good information and a surgeon who backs their decision, survey shows
Reuters Health Staff writer

Most women who had a mastectomy and decided to “go flat” rather than undergo breast reconstruction say they are happy with the result, doctors report.

The US team surveyed more than 930 patients who had a mastectomy to treat breast cancer or elevated breast-cancer risk and chose to go without breast-mound reconstruction.

They asked questions about overall satisfaction with the surgery, as well as specific questions about appearance and confidence.

Questions about preoperative counselling and whether surgeons supported patients’ decisions to go flat, were included.