Table 1.
The structured questionnaire assessing patients’ knowledge about and desire for postmastectomy breast reconstruction and psychosocial factors and the answers received.
| Residence: | Village • Provincial town • Capital |
| Age: | |
| Educational level: | Primary School • Secondary School • University |
| Marital status: | Unmarried • Married • Divorced • Widow |
| Profession: | Intellectual worker • Manual worker • Pensioner |
| 1. Do you fear breast cancer? | Yes 463 (92.%) • No 37 (7.4%) |
|
2. To what extent? No answer: 27 (5.4%) |
Slightly 45 (9%) • Moderate 160 (32%) • Severe 268 (53.6%) |
|
3. Your greatest concern is the possibility of… No answer: 10 (2%) |
Suffering 113 (22.6%) • Loss of breast 91 (18.2%) • Chemotherapy 172 (34.4%) • Alopecia 35 (7%) • Recurrence 171 (34.2%) • Death 126 (25.2%) |
|
4. Do you fear losing your breast? No answer: 1 (0.2%) |
Yes 341 (68.6%) • No 158 (31.6%) |
|
5. To what extent do you fear losing your breast? No answer: 68 (13.6%) |
Slightly 86 (17.2%) • Moderate 148 (29.6%) • Severe 198 (39.6%) |
|
6. Is it your own judgement or the opinion of your environment that you most fear? No answer: 73 (14.6%) |
Self esteem 205 (41%) • Environment 77 (15.4%) • Both 145 (29%) |
|
7. Whose opinion are you most concerned about in your environment? No answer: 205 (41%) |
Family 86 (17%) • Friends 100 (20%) • Workplace 117 (23.4%) |
| 8. Provided your cancer treatment makes it possible, would you opt for breast reconstruction? | Yes 228 (45.6%) • Maybe 109 (21.8%) • No 163 (32.6%) |
|
9. When would you want to have breast reconstruction? No answer: 154 (30.8%) |
Immediately 114 (22.8%) • 6 months later 117 (23.4%) • Years later 115 (23%) |
| 10. How much do you know about breast reconstruction? | Nothing 158 (31.6%) • Little 279 (55.8%) • Enough 48 (9.6%) • Much 15 (3%) |
|
11. Where did you hear about breast reconstruction? No answer: 78 (15.6%) |
Surgeon 199 (39.8%) • Internet 105 (21%) • Fellow patient 72 (14.4%) • Other* 81 (16.2%) |
|
12. Would you undertake more than one surgical procedure for adequate breast reconstruction? No answer: 13 (2.6%) |
Yes 178 (35.6%) • No 304 (60.8%) |
| 13. Do you think that breast reconstruction would influence your family or sexual life? | Yes 82 (16.4%) • Maybe 119 (23.8%) • No 299 (59.8%) |
| 14. What does complete recovery mean to you? | Physical 10 (2%) • Emotional 34 (6.8%) • Both 456 (91.2%) |
| 15. Is having breasts again part of your recovery? | Yes 159 (31.8%) • Not necessarily 223 (44.6%) • No 118 (23.6%) |
*
Television, radio, newspaper or magazines.