Introduction: In women diagnosed with breast cancer one of the methods most commonly applied in therapy is surgical treatment, which consists in a breast conserving surgery or total removal of the breast. The applied type of surgical treatment may exert an effect on the satisfaction with life of the women.
Objective: The aim of the study was evaluation of the satisfaction with life among women surgically treated for breast cancer, according to the type of surgery on the breast, and the time elapsed since its performance.
Material and methods: The study included 121 patients of the Sub-Carpathian Oncology Centre in Brzozów, south-east Poland, who had undergone surgical treatment due to breast cancer. The women expressed their informed consent to participate in the study. The method of a diagnostic survey was applied.
Results: The women obtained a mediocre result in satisfaction with life - 5.64 sten scores. Patients who had undergone mastectomy had a considerably lower level of satisfaction with life, compared to those after breast-conserving surgery (4.73 sten scores vs. 6.30 sten scores). Evaluations of the satisfaction with life in the examined group significantly differed according to the time elapsed since performance of surgery.
Conclusions: There is a need for undertaking actions directed to women who have undergone surgical treatment for breast cancer within the period from 2-5 years, aimed at improving the satisfaction with life in this group of patients. In addition, special support should be provided for women who have undergone mastectomy, especially during the period of more than 1 and up to 2 years.
Keywords: breast cancer; satisfaction with life; surgical treatment.