Comparison of Psychological Influence on Breast Cancer Patients Between Breast-conserving Surgery and Modified Radical Mastectomy

Objective: To compare the influence of breast-conserving surgery (BCS) and modified radical mastectomy(MRM) on the psychological state of breast cancer patients.
Methods: Patients receiving MRM or BCS, andfulfilling the study criteria, were recruited. Patients were required to complete a self-reporting inventory (SCL-90) on admission and 6 months after surgery and a self-rating depression scale (SDS) when discharged fromhospital and 6 months after surgery.
Results: A total of 70 patients received MRM and 50 BCS. Compared withthe national standard, patients suffered to some extent psychological problems on admission, at discharge fromhospital and at 6 months after surgery. Patients received BCS had a higher score of SDS compared with thosewith MRM when discharged from hospital. However, 6 months after surgery, SDS score increased in MRM anddecreased in the BCS group, so the difference was significant.
Conclusion: The short-term psychological stateof patients receiving BCS is worse than that with MRM but superior to MRM 6 months postoperatively. BCSimposed less influence on long term psychological state of breast cancer patients compared with MRM.