Disease acceptance in patients after surgery from breast cancer during supplementary treatment

Abstract Breast cancer is the most frequent malignancy in women in Poland and all over the world. The etiology of this disease is unknown. It has a destructive influence on the internal world of each woman and releases negative emotions. Breast cancer causes disturbances in physical, psychological and social spheres of woman's life. The aim of the study was to assess the acceptance of the disease in women during supplementary therapy after mastectomy. Twenty five women (32-70 years-old, median 53 years) were enrolled into the study. All patients were examined from 3 to 6 months after surgery and during supplementary therapy of breast cancer. The AIS scale was used for estimation of acceptance of the disease. It consists of eight questions describing consequences of bad health state and questions concern limitations imposed by the disease such as the lack of self-sufficiency, feeling of being dependent on other people and lowered self-esteem. Each question included a five-grade scale. In the research group of 25 women those at age from 50 to 60 years were largest group and there were only few women from 30 to 40 years of age. 50% of women have no problems to adopt to the limitations imposed by the disease in the fifth and sixth month after surgery. 67% of women in the sixth month after surgery declared that they still did things they liked most despite their health state. The differences in the number of patients that could not do things they liked most were statistically insignificant in time. 80% of patients in the forth month after surgery felt absolutely useful. The differences in the number of women that felt useless were statistically insignificant in time. 67% of women in the third month as well as 67% in the sixth month after surgery didn't claim to be more dependent on other people. 80% of patients in the forth month after surgery did not concern themselves as ones who burden to others. 100% of the analyzed patients felt absolutely useful during fourth months after surgery. 60% of women claimed to be self-sufficient in the forth month after surgery The biggest group of the women--75% in the fifth month after surgery had no feeling that people that spending time with them were embarrassed. The highest level of disease acceptance was observed in patients in the forth month after surgery while in the third, fifth and sixth months postoperatively and it was remained on a similar level. During supplementary breast cancer therapy the differences in disease acceptance in consecutive months after surgery were statistically insignificant. Most of the analyzed women--11 (44%) had good acceptance of the disease and bad acceptance of the disease had five patients (20%). Good acceptance of the disease during adjuvant breast cancer therapy after mastectomy had nearly half (44%) of the patients, the best acceptance in the forth month after surgery. More than half of the women felt useful and not more dependent on other people, they didn't feel to be a burden to others and they didn't feel to embarrass other people. The time that passed from surgery had no significant influence on the acceptance of the disease.