ArticlePsycho-oncology2026
Insights Into 'Living Flat': A Qualitative Study of Patients Who Have Mastectomy Without Reconstruction.
Article in Psycho-oncology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Surgical Burden of Breast Cancer Treatment: Implications of Mastectomy, Breast Conservation, and Reconstruction Choices.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundOver 14,000 UK women undergo mastectomy annually, 70% of whom do not undergo breast reconstruction. These women are often left with suboptimal scars.
aimsThis study aimed to explore the attitudes of women towards their mastectomy scars, particular the aesthetic outcomes, and to raise awareness of the importance of achieving aesthetic flat closure.
methodsSemi-structured interviews with women who had undergone mastectomy without reconstruction were recruited from a single UK teaching hospital. Thematic analysis was performed using the Framework Approach.
resultsTwenty women aged 47-91 years old were interviewed in 2024. Themes identified: satisfaction with scar cosmesis, physical impacts of scars, attitude towards flat mastectomy scars, body image and confidence, pre-operative counselling and scar revision surgery. There was widespread patient dissatisfaction with mastectomy scar cosmesis, although attitudes and emotional responses varied. Women viewed their scars as a necessity. Physical symptoms included discomfort from dog ears chafing on bra straps, or scar tightness restricting arm or shoulder mobility. Most women were interested in scar revision surgery, with some requesting more information, or referrals. Those who had scar revision surgery or chose contralateral symmetrising mastectomy displayed more positive attitudes.
conclusionsThis study found considerable patient dissatisfaction with mastectomy scar cosmesis and demonstrated the profound impacts of poor cosmetic outcomes, highlighting the importance of optimising aesthetic outcomes and the need for scar revision surgery to help women achieve aesthetic flat closure. These findings demonstrate the importance of careful pre-operative planning and good surgical technique with more time allocated to manage expectations.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.