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Evaluation of the perceptions and cosmetic satisfaction of breast cancer patients undergoing totally implantable vascular access device (TIVAD) placement

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Abstract

Purpose

Totally implantable vascular access devices (TIVADs) are widely used to administer chemotherapy to cancer patients. While great progress has been made with respect to breast surgical reconstruction to take into account both aesthetics and patients’ perceptions of body integrity, these aspects have not been considered with regard to the impact of TIVAD. In order to address this practice gap, we have adapted our TIVAD implantation technique to improve cosmetic results. The aim of this study was to assess breast cancer patients’ comfort level and aesthetic satisfaction with regard to TIVAD insertion.

Methods

Patients with breast cancer admitted for chemotherapy at an outpatient clinic completed a previously validated survey evaluating three main domains: symptoms (pain, discomfort) related to the TIVAD itself in daily activity, information received before and during the surgical procedure, and cosmetic aspects regarding the port insertion site (scar, port, and catheter location).

Results

Between September 2010 and June 2011, 232 patients were evaluated. Cosmetic satisfaction with scar location was high (93.3 %). Information given to patients before and during the procedure had a major impact on both symptom perception in daily activity and on cosmetic satisfaction.

Conclusions

Obtaining a more aesthetic scar by placing the TIVAD in the deltopectoral groove contributed to a high rate of cosmetic satisfaction. Furthermore, the relevance of information given to patients before and/or during surgery had a major impact on symptom perception. Therefore, we suggest including a pre-operative information session in the care pathway.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the nurses at the outpatient hospital involved in the distribution of the questionnaire to the patients and Professor Marguerite Stas for agreeing to review the manuscript. We wish to acknowledge the contribution of a medical writer, Sandy Field, PhD, for English language editing and formatting of the manuscript.

Authors’ contributions

GL drafted the manuscript and conceived the study. BF and IV participated in its design. All authors were involved in revising the manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Digestive Surgery Clinic, Department of Surgical Oncology, Institut Jules Bordet, Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Rue H. Bordet 1, 1000, Brussels, Belgium

    Gabriel Liberale, Michel El Houkayem, Claire Viste, Fikri Bouazza & Issam El Nakadi

  2. Data Centre, Department of Statistics, Institut Jules Bordet, Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), 1000, Brussels, Belgium

    Michel Moreau

  3. Gynaecologic and Mammary Surgery Clinic, Department of Surgical Oncology, Institut Jules Bordet, Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), 1000, Brussels, Belgium

    Isabelle Veys

Authors
  1. Gabriel Liberale
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  2. Michel El Houkayem
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  3. Claire Viste
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  4. Fikri Bouazza
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  5. Michel Moreau
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  6. Issam El Nakadi
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  7. Isabelle Veys
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gabriel Liberale.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Cite this article

Liberale, G., El Houkayem, M., Viste, C. et al. Evaluation of the perceptions and cosmetic satisfaction of breast cancer patients undergoing totally implantable vascular access device (TIVAD) placement. Support Care Cancer 24, 5035–5040 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-016-3368-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-016-3368-y

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