A Questionnaire Survey of Problems with Clothing Experienced After Breast Cancer Surgery

- An Outline of the Survey -

Abstract

A questionnaire survey was conducted on a total of 334 breast cancer patients and survivors to investigate the problems with clothing experienced after breast cancer surgery. The questionnaire consisted of 136 questions in six categories, including the demographic and disease characteristics of the participants and the details of the bras and pads used. The findings obtained from the collected and analyzed data were as follows: 1) the participants who had undergone a mastectomy or breast conserving surgery encounter short-term to long-term difficulties or inconveniences related to clothes, ranging from innerwear to outerwear; 2) these difficulties or inconveniences result from deformity of the breast area, as well as physical symptoms experienced after surgery and side effects from the treatments given following surgery. These problems need to be resolved considering many factors related to clothes, such as mobility, fit, thermal comfort, touch sensation and garment coordination.