Women with cured breast cancer a study of mastectomy patients in North Carolina.

A study of 49 postmastectomy patients in North Carolina, four years following the surgery, revealed that the women did not feel they had been prepared for their postoperative experiences; were not, in general, familiar with Reach to Recovery as a supportive organization, nor perceived it as such; only occasionally examined their remaining breast; and had a number of persisting physical complications. The extent of physical disability was found to be related to the quality of life inasmuch as women with a high number of physical symptoms were much more likely to have a higher number of symptoms of depression than women with fewer complications. Social supports mediated the effects of surgical complications on mental outlook, but only up to a point.