EVALUATION OF THE IMPACT OF MASTECTOMY ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF WOMEN – LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract

Introduction: The diagnosis of breast cancer affects more women, since most cases are discovered late and mastectomy becomes the most recommended procedure for treatment, however, surgery consists of removing the breast, which is considered a representative body of femininity. Objectives: To analyze how the quality of life of women is affected. Methodology: A literature review was carried out with searches in databases such as SciELO, PubMed, Virtual Health Library (BVS), Brazilian Journal of Cancerology, Brazilian Journal of Quality of Life and the Brazilian Journal of Plastic Surgery. Inclusion criteria were articles published from 2012 to 2022, which addressed data on quality of life after mastectomy, in Portuguese and English with the keywords: Quality of life; Breast cancer; Mastectomy, and in English: Quality of life; Breast cancer; Mastectomy and exclusion criteria: articles that included male patients, literature review studies and which did not address the proposed topic. Results: In all, 29 articles were found, among these, 6 were selected in portuguese. Conclusion: Through the review, it was possible to conclude that mastectomy impairs the quality of life of women who undergo treatment, with emotional and functional aspects being the most affected in the postoperative period.