Life experiences reported by patients with breast cancer submitted to immediate mammary reconstruction: a qualitative-clinical study

• Grant number: 12/16456-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: January 01, 2013
• End date: December 31, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Psychology - Psychological Treatment and Prevention
• Principal Investigator: Egberto Ribeiro Turato
• Grantee: Vera Lucia Pereira Alves
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Médicas (FCM). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The current study aims to comprehend how women with breast cancer experience the immediate mammary reconstruction which takes place during surgical treatment. This procedure, whose objective is to diminish emotional and aesthetic sequels, has been confirmed by researches, which in spite of considering the psychosocial benefits, reveal sometimes contradictory results when read as a whole. This probably occurs due to the methodological design adopted. The studies are, in their majority, quantitative and comparative concerning the quality of life of women that submit themselves to the immediate procedure in comparison to those that have it done at a later time or do not go under reconstruction. This methodology compares women in situations that are emotionally very different, utilizes instruments with a validity questioned by the scientific literature, and evaluates what is considered a priori as part of the emotional response to this event, not limiting itself to the integrality of what is experienced. Having these considerations in mind, the aim is to conduct a qualitative-clinical study through which it would be possible to comprehend phenomenologically the experience of women who undergo immediate mammary reconstruction, and from which it is expected to achieve results that can substantiate more deeply this procedure's validity and that, simultaneously, would help professionals from different areas in various and diverse services.