Objective. To assess the impact of various breast reconstruction technique on the quality of life after mastectomy for breast cancer.

Material and methods. There were 353 women with breast cancer stage I-IIIA and 40 healthy patients operated on for aesthetic causes. Group I (n=141) included women after total mastectomy, group II (n=133) — total mastectomy with simultaneous breast reconstruction, group III (n=79) — total mastectomy with delayed breast reconstruction, group IV (n=40) — breast surgery for aesthetic causes. To study patient satisfaction with postoperative outcomes, we surveyed patients before and 6 months after surgery. Quality of life was assessed using the SF-36 and Breast-Q questionnaires.

Results. Early and delayed breast reconstruction was followed by lower anxiety and depression and higher quality of life compared to total mastectomy alone. Surgical procedure, serum cortisol, early postoperative complications, severity of depression, education and social status affected the quality of life.

Keywords. breast cancer, early and delayed reconstructive surgeries, anxiety, depression, quality of life, cortisol