Psychosocial Aspects of Immediate versus Delayed Breast Reconstruction

Background: Only little is known about the psychosocial aspects of breast cancer patients after mastectomy with immediate versus delayed breast reconstruction. Methods: We systematically screened PubMed using the following key words: mastectomy, immediate vs. delayed reconstruction, psychosocial aspects and quality of life. To highlight different psychological outcomes, studies were categorized into those describing: anxiety, depression, body image and satisfaction with the surgical outcome. We also compared patients after mastectomy alone with those undergoing immediate or delayed reconstruction. Results: Methodologies and psychological outcomes varied among the identified studies, making it difficult to compare results. There are contradictory outcomes concerning the psychosocial aspects of breast cancer patients after mastectomy alone compared with those who underwent an immediate or delayed reconstruction following mastectomy. Some studies show that immediate reconstruction after mastectomy had a positive impact on patients' psychological well-being. In contrast, other studies indicated that in the long-term view the compared patient groups were very similar concerning psychosocial aspects. Conclusion: Analyzing different aspects of psychosocial well-being after breast cancer surgery, there might be an advantage in choosing immediate reconstruction, if oncological safety allows it.