Does Quality of Life Among Modified Radical Mastectomy and Breast Conservation Surgery Patients Differ? A 5-Year Comparative Study.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among females worldwide, of whom more than 80% survive for more than 5 years. Hence, ensuring a good quality of life (QOL) is essential to achieve holistic approach in treating patients. A cross-sectional study was conducted to compare the QOL in women who underwent modified radical mastectomy (MRM) and breast conservation surgery (BCS) for breast cancer in the last 5 years. QOL was evaluated based on the long-term quality of life-breast cancer (LTQOL-BC) questionnaire. A greater percentage of women who underwent MRM complained of difficulty in completing their house work compared with the BCS group (50% compared with 31%). Twenty-five percent (6) of the women who had undergone MRM reported feeling of being incomplete as women, along with a lack of femininity. However, more than 80% of the women in both groups said that they felt stronger as survivors and derived strength from their experience. There were significant differences in the quality of life of women from both groups in terms of physical function and body image, with the BCS group appearing to have a better QOL. © Indian Association of Surgical Oncology 2019.