Psychosocial Effects of Mastectomy: is it Due to Mastectomy or to the Diagnosis of Malignancy?

Twenty-three consecutive married and sexually active Chinese women treated for breast cancer were compared with a randomly selected group of 34 female patients suffering from different kinds of malignancies. A structured interview was used to study both groups. The breast cancer group were found to be less depressed and more emotionally stable than those suffering from other malignancies, suggesting that the diagnosis of malignancy was the more important factor in the psychosocial morbidity of these patients.