The DOI matches its Crossref record; 34 of the 34 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Body Image of Women with Breast Cancer After Mastectomy: A Qualitative Research
Open accessAbstract
OBJECTIVE: To gain a holistic and deep understanding about how mastectomy effects the body image of women who have breast cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The sample of this qualitative descriptive study consisted of twenty patients who underwent mastectomy procedures. Semi-structured interviews were conducted during the second week after mastectomy. Each interview was transcribed verbatim, and a thematic analysis was performed. RESULTS: After the mastectomy, the findings related to the women's body image and their experiences were specified as four main themes and seven sub-themes. The main themes were: meaning of the breast, mastectomy and me, my body image and body image changes, and social life. Most of the participants in this study stated that the breast meant femininity, beauty, and motherhood. It was found that the meaning of mastectomy varied according to individuals. Women used quite negative statements about their appearances. The participants also said that they felt that half themselves was missing, as individuals and women. The women stated that they preferred clothes that hid their lack of breast. Some of the participants mentioned that relations with their husbands were not like before, and they abstained from social interaction. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that mastectomy as a surgical treatment for breast cancer may negatively affect a woman's body image and her self-image.
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“Qualitative research done in this aspect on women who have undergone mastectomy has shown that the surgery adversely affects women. The research clearly showed that women miss their self-image and hence their body appearance due to mastectomy. Mastectomy had adverse effects on attire and intimacy with their partners. 38”
From Coping in Post-Mastectomy Breast Cancer Survivors and Need for Intervention: Systematic Review. (2023) · cites this paper as [38]
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“This perspective aligns with the et al. [43], Koçan and Gürsoy [14], and Type 1’s (Embracing a New Life) characteristics include a more accepting and open-minded .”
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“Women with breast cancer are sufering disease in a body organ that is of great importance to their identity and femininity, which can infuence their supportive care needs during and after treatment [34, 35].”
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“27 However, our identification of age-related trends (older patients reporting fewer appearance concerns) adds new dimensions to their observation that younger women face greater body image challenges.”
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“Loss of a breast often triggers profound feelings of inade-quacy and diminished identity, which contributes to elevated preoperative anxiety [12].”
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“For many women, breasts symbolize femininity, sexuality, beauty, and motherhood, and their removal through mastectomy can result in profound disturbances to body image and self-concept (Fang et al., 2013; Koçan and Gürsoy, 2016).”
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“These issues are largely linked to cancer treatments, which may cause sexual dysfunctions in women, changes in physical appearance and a negative body-image (Castillo et al., 2022; Kocan and Gursoy, 2016).”
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“One important aspect of survivorship care is breast reconstruction (BR) following mastectomy, which may contribute to psychosocial recovery and quality of life for selected patients, depending on individual preference, oncologic context, and resource availability [8–10].”
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Long, Y., Li, L., Xuemei, T., Dan, Y., & Huang, Y.-L. (2026) · Medicine · doi:10.1097/md.0000000000049592
“…am forced to rethink the lived experience,” [18] “Seeing my nearly bald head terrifies me,” [24] “I can’t even count how many times I’ve cried in front of the mirror,” [26] “You’re not the same as all other women,” [14] “When I went into the bathroom and looked in the mirror, I felt so bad” [31] ).”
InfluentialGarcía‐Garcés, L., Carcelén, R., Sánchez‐López, M. I., Zaldibar, C. R., RoviraNavalón, M., PérezLledó, L., GilMoreno, A. B., Arranz, M. J., Sánchez, M. D. R., DíazGutiérrez, M. J., et al. (2026) · Breast Care · doi:10.1159/000552139
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(2026) · Emerald Group Publishing Limited eBooks · doi:10.1108/978-1-80686-949-720261009
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Predicting Health Anxiety Based on Mindfulness and Mental Toughness in Women with Breast Cancer
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Rubio-Casillas, A., Redwan, E., Genova, S. N., & Uversky, V. (2026) · Applied microbiology · doi:10.3390/applmicrobiol6100117
Metadata
- Authors
- Kocan, S., & Gursoy, A.
- Venue
- Journal of Breast Health
- Publisher
- AVES YAYINCILIK A.Ş.
- Published
- 2016-09-29
- Volume
- 12
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 145-150
- ISSN
- 1306-0945 (ISSN-L)
- 2149-1976
- PMC
- PMC5351438
- OpenAlex
- W2527226569
- Cited by
- 238
- References
- 33
- Citations by year
- 2026: 22 · 2025: 28 · 2024: 31 · 2023: 38 · 2022: 26 · 2021: 32 · 2020: 25 · 2019: 15 · 2018: 17 · 2017: 4
- FWCI
- 11.90
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Meme sağlığı dergisi/Meme sağlığı dergisi (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Women's cancer prevention and management
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Surgery › Breast Implant and Reconstruction
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Cancer survivorship and care
- Keywords
- body image, breast cancer, mastectomy, women, femininity, motherhood, self-image, social life, marital relationships, clothing preferences, patient experience
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