الفهرس 
Breast cancerOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Breast cancer is a multi-dimensional disease that induces important derangements in the physical, psychological, and social aspects of the individual’s life, and it is one of the most traumatic events that might be experienced by a woman during her lifetime. It is the most common malignancy and the second most common cause of cancer death after lung cancer in women worldwide. In Egypt, out of 9,587 female cancers cases registered in the last 10 years by the Alexandria Cancer Registry, 33.0% of them were breast cancer (Yager and Davidson 2006). In addition over 1 million (1,437,180) new cases diagnosed annually, resulting in 565,650 annual deaths from cancer are projected to occur in the United States in 2008 (Jemal et al., 2009).
Mastectomy is the medical term for the surgical removal of one or both of the breasts of either a male or a female patient. One or both of the breasts can be partially or completely removed with a mastectomy surgical procedure. Due to the invasive nature of the surgical intervention and the selected means of tissue removal, a mastectomy is considered to be a local therapy when compared to systemic therapies such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy and hormone therapy. (Alvarez et al., 2010) The current study is descriptive. Its aim is to assess the effect of radical mastectomy on women’s quality of life. This aim is achieved through answering the following question: Does radical mastectomy affect women’s quality of life?
This study was conducted at the surgical outpatient Clinic at El Mansoura oncology Center. The subjects of the present study included 150 women at the previously mentioned settings, and selected under the following inclusion criteria: a Married woman whom exposed to radical mastectomy and living with her husband, lives in single family, from different age group, socioeconomic level, and education level. There are three tools for data collection that are used for achieving the aim of this study: structured-interviewing sheet designed by researcher. It is divided into three parts to assess the socio demographic characteristics, women present and past medical and women’s knowledge regarding breast cancer and radical mastectomy. As well as body image assessments tool (BIA) adopted from (Hopwood, et, 2001) to assess women’s’ self-awareness related to her body image after radical mastectomy. It was translated to Arabic language and reviewed by jury. This tool consists of 10 statement. Also the WHOQOL (WHO quality of life) instruments for women with radical mastectomy: It was modified by the researcher and translated to Arabic language and reviewed by jury. This scale consists of 35 statements every woman had three responses for each statement to choose from Not at all to an extreme, quality of life concept grouped into 4 domains: Physical, Psychological, Social and Environment. The Pilot study involved 15 women attending the surgical outpatient clinic at El Mansoura oncology center (10% of total sample included in the study). The pilot done to evaluate the relevance, clarity and content validity of the tools used for data collection, evaluate time needed for women to fill tools of the study and find the possible obstacles and problems that might face researcher and interfere data collection. Women included in the pilot study was including in the total sample as there is no modification in tools. The findings of the present study reached the following conclusion:
• About two third of the studied sample suffered from dissatisfied regarding their body image • About slightly more than quarter of the studied sample developed poor quality of life according to total quality of life (Physical, Psychological, Social, Environmental QOL domains).• Slightly more than half of the studied sample developed average QOL level regarding Physical domain. • Two third of the studied sample developed poor QOL level regarding psychological domain. • More than half of women of the studied sample developed poor QOL level regarding Social domain. • About two third of women of the studied sample developed average QOL level regarding Environmental domain. • There were statistically significant difference between some of socio-demographic variable as (age. education, occupation, income and residence) and total quality of life.• There were statistically significant difference between some of socio-demographic variable as (age. education, occupation, income and residence) and body image. • So radical mastectomy affects women quality of life. In the light of the study findings, the following were recommended: • Supportive measures should be made available and affordable to women after radical mastectomy. Nurses and other health care givers caring for these women should explore with each woman her fears, and concerns regarding mastectomy, identify interpersonal and extra personal resources that will aid the women’s’ rehabilitation into the society. • Planned health education programs should be given to mastectomy women and their significant ones on breast cancer, mastectomy and other management approaches, their possible side effects and ways of controlling each unwanted effects. This will allay unnecessary fears and assist the women in coping with her condition. • Early detection of predisposing factors that may put the woman on risk of health problems related to the surgery radical mastectomy or recurrence of BC. • Educational programs and messages through the counseling, brochures, for all women following breast cancer treatment in outpatients’ clinics of oncology department units to increase women awareness about BC symptoms and how to deal with BC and its different treatment. Further research on larger sample size & other to increase women awareness about life style modification to improve women’s QOL through educational programs & brochures.