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Is There A Difference Between Pre and Post Breast Reconstruction Quality of Life In The Appalachian Population?
Kylie A Fuller
Cristiane Ueno
Kristen Hardy
Jennifer Rokosz
University
2018-02-15
Presenter: Kylie Fuller
Affidavit:
I certify that the material proposed for presentation in this abstract has not been published in any scientific journal or previously presented at a major meeting. The submitting and presenting author of the work for this project has predominately been accomplished through their efforts. She conceived and developed the majority of the study design with assistance of the faculty, acquired most, analyzed all, and interpreted all data and was responsible for the majority of drafting the abstract text with the assistance and guidance of the more senior authors on the abstract.
Director Name: Aaron Mason, MD, FACS, FAAP
Author Category: Medical Student
Presentation Category: Clinical
Abstract Category: Breast (Aesthetic and Recon.)
It is recognized that having breast reconstruction post-mastectomy in breast cancer patients result in positive outcomes for the patients. However, studies have also shown that there are disparities between reconstruction rates in different populations. The factors listed above are particularly important to the people of West Virginia. Firstly, West Virginia is part of Appalachia, which is unique due to their high poverty rates, limited education and geographic isolation. Additionally, West Virginians have higher rates of adverse health-related issues such as: obesity (ranked 48/50 states), percent premature death (45/50), percent reporting poor health (ranked 49/50 states), percent current smokers (ranked 50/50 states), cardiac heart disease (ranked 49/50 states) and high blood pressure (ranked 50/50 states). The majority of the previous studies evaluating breast reconstruction satisfaction have been conducted at large academic institutions in metropolitan areas. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the improvement and wellbeing after reconstruction performed at a tertiary care center in West Virginia. The BREAST-Q© questionnaire was given to patients pre and post-reconstruction. Results were analyzed using Wilcoxon Paired Test. We found a statistically significant difference in satisfaction with breasts and psychosocial well-being after breast reconstruction, despite the health challenges of this unique population.
