Treatment and body image
Breast cancer is variously treated with mastectomy, lumpectomy and radiation, chemotherapy, and adjuvant endocrine manipulation ; the choice of treatment or treatments depends on factors such as disease pathology, hormone receptor and menopausal status, and the patient’s preference.
Surgery. The standard surgical treatment for breast cancer used to be mastectomy ; however, some women with early breast cancer may now undergo breast-conserving procedures, including lumpectomy. Women who’ve had this procedure report greater satisfaction with body image compared with those who’ve had a modified radical mastectomy without reconstruction or a mastectomy with delayed reconstruction. However radical their surgery, some women report a subsequent poor body image as well as difficulty finding bras that fit correctly. The resultant scarring, deformity, or absence of the breast may serve as a constant reminder of the cancer and thus affect sexual self-image. The response of a woman’s partner to physical changes in the woman’s breasts may also affect how sexually attractive she feels.