Effects of Expectations and Body Image in Breast Reconstruction

June 30, 2025 updated by: Vastra Gotaland Region

Psychological Effect of Expectations and Body Image on Outcomes of Breast Reconstruction

A breast reconstruction after mastectomy, either due to breast cancer or a high lifetime risk for cancer, is performed to increase the patient's quality of life. However, there are studies that show that some women regret their decision to have breast reconstruction. There are also studies demonstrating similarities in the general patterns of psychosocial adjustment and quality of life among women with breast cancer who have undergone breast-conserving surgery, mastectomy alone, and mastectomy combined with breast reconstruction. Hence, it is unclear which women actually benefit from a breast reconstruction. The concept of quality of life is connected to patient satisfaction and body image/investment. Therefore, the aim of this project is to examine the effects of patient expectations and body image on the patient reported outcomes of breast reconstruction, to improve preoperative information and postoperative care for women considering a breast reconstruction.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
500

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • Sweden
      • Gothenburg, Sweden, 413 45
        • Recruiting
        • Sahlgrenska University Hospital
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Biological women with breast cancer or high risk for breast cancer who want immediate or delayed post-mastectomy breast reconstruction.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Biological women with breast cancer or high risk for breast cancer who want post-mastectomy breast reconstruction
  • Age > 18 years

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Inability to give informed consent
  • Inability to understand Swedish
  • Relaps of cancer
  • Palliative treatment

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Observational Models: Cohort
  • Time Perspectives: Prospective

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Immediate breast reconstruction
Women undergoing immediate breast reconstruction due to breast cancer or a high risk for breast cancer
Procedure: Implant-based breast reconstruction
All types of implant based breast reconstructions
Procedure: Autologous breast reconstruction
All types of autologous breast reconstructions
Procedure: Combined methods
All types of breast reconstructions combining autologous and implant based techniques
Delayed breast reconstruction
Women undergoing delayed breast reconstruction due to breast cancer or a high risk for breast cancer
Procedure: Implant-based breast reconstruction
All types of implant based breast reconstructions
Procedure: Autologous breast reconstruction
All types of autologous breast reconstructions
Procedure: Combined methods
All types of breast reconstructions combining autologous and implant based techniques

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Patient satisfaction with breast reconstruction measured with Breast Q reconstruction
Time Frame: 2 years
Breast Q reconstruction includes two domains and six different modules: health-related quality of life (HR-QOL; including physical, psychosocial, and sexual well-being) and patient satisfaction (including satisfaction with breasts, outcome, and care). Each scale produces an independent score from 0-100. A higher score means greater satisfaction or better QOL.
2 years
Patient expectations measured with Breast Q expectations
Time Frame: 2 years
Breast Q expectations.The scale consists of five modules: expectations for support from medical staff , expectations for pain, expectations for coping, expectations for breast appearance when clothed and expectations for breast sensation. The score for each independent scale range from 0-100. A higher score means greater expectations.
2 years
Body image measured with Multidimensional body-self relations questionnaire- appearance scales (MBSRQ-AS)
Time Frame: 2 years
MBSRQ-AS - Multidimensional body-self relations questionnaire- appearance scales.It is a 34-item self-report questionnaire designed to measure appearance related components of body-image. In consists of five subscales: appearance evaluation, appearance orientation, body areas satisfaction, overweight preoccupation, and self-classified weight. It is a 5-point Likert-scale ranging from 1 to 5.
2 years
Body image investment measured with Appearance schemas inventory-revised (ASI-R)
Time Frame: 2 years
ASI-R - Appearance schemas inventory-revised: is a 20-item self-report questionnaire designed to measure body-image investment. It consists of two subscales, self-evaluative salience (SES) and motivational salience (MS). It is a 5-point Likert-scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Twelve items relate to SES and eight items relate to MS. The total score is the mean of the 20 items, and the score of the subscales is the mean of the items relating to each subscale. A high score indicates greater body-image investment.
2 years

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Satisfaction with preoperative information measured with Breast Q reconstruction
Time Frame: 2 years
Measured with one of the sub scales of Breast Q reconstruction
2 years
Pain measured with a visual analogue scale
Time Frame: 2 weeks
Measured with a post-operative pain dairy with VAS scales (o means no pain and 10 means the worst possible pain imaginable)
2 weeks
Sick leave according to authorities
Time Frame: 1 year
Actual sick leave according to the Swedish authorities
1 year
Number of out-patient visits according to the medical charts
Time Frame: 1 year
Actual number of out-patient visits, according to the medical chart
1 year
Depression and anxiety measured with Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)
Time Frame: 2 years
HADS - Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale: is a 14-item self-report questionnaire that is designed to measure anxiety and depression. It has two domains, where seven items relate to anxiety and seven relate to depression. It is a 4-point Likert-scale ranging from 0-3. Each domain has a maximum score of 21. For both domains, scores of less than 7 indicate non-cases, whereas scores of 8-10 indicate mild anxiety or depression, 11-14 moderate and 15-21 severe.
2 years
Demographic factors and medical factors according to medical charts
Time Frame: 2 years
Demographic factors that might affect expectations and satisfaction, such as age, comorbidity, and previous cosmetic breast surgery, and medical factors such as timing of reconstructions, reason for mastectomy, type of cancer and cancer treatment received.
2 years

Other Outcome Measures

Other Outcome Measures

For clinical trials, a planned measurement described in the protocol that is used to determine the effect of an intervention/treatment on participants. For observational studies, a measurement or observation that is used to describe patterns of diseases or traits, or associations with exposures, risk factors, or treatment. Types of outcome measures include primary outcome measure and secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Translation and validation of Breast-Q expectations
Time Frame: 4 months
Translation into Swedish according to MAPI-guidelines. Validation of psychometric properties in a Swedish population.The scale consists of five modules: expectations for support from medical staff , expectations for pain, expectations for coping, expectations for breast appearance when clothed and expectations for breast sensation. The score for each independent scale range from 0-100. A higher score means greater expectations.
4 months
Translation and validation of Appearance schemas inventory-revised (ASI-R)
Time Frame: 4 months
Translation into Swedish according to MAPI-guidelines. Validation of psychometric properties in a Swedish population. ASI-Ris a 20-item self-report questionnaire designed to measure body-image investment. It consists of two subscales, self-evaluative salience (SES) and motivational salience (MS). It is a 5-point Likert-scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Twelve items relate to SES and eight items relate to MS. The total score is the mean of the 20 items, and the score of the subscales is the mean of the items relating to each subscale. A high score indicates greater body-image investment.
4 months
Translation and validation of Multidimensional body-self relations questionnaire- appearance scales (MBSRQ-AS)
Time Frame: 4 months
Translation into Swedish according to MAPI-guidelines. Validation of psychometric properties in a Swedish population.Multidimensional body-self relations questionnaire- appearance scales.It is a 34-item self-report questionnaire designed to measure appearance related components of body-image. In consists of five subscales: appearance evaluation, appearance orientation, body areas satisfaction, overweight preoccupation, and self-classified weight. It is a 5-point Likert-scale ranging from 1 to 5.
4 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Vastra Gotaland Region

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Emma Hansson, PhD, Göteborg University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
February 1, 2021

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
December 31, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 31, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
January 12, 2021

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
January 14, 2021

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
January 19, 2021

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
July 3, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 30, 2025

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
June 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 2020-06245

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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