Phantom breast syndrome in young women after mastectomy for breast cancer. Physical, social and psychological aspects.

Phantom breast syndrome (PBS) developed in 11 out of 31 (35.5%) consecutive young women, who had undergone mastectomy for breast cancer. Six to 21 months after operation the patients were asked to take part in a follow-up investigation in which physical sequelae, social condition, and psychological reactions were assessed and related to the presence of PBS. There was no correlation between PBS and postsurgical physical sequelae, those who had received adjuvant radiotherapy, or the side on which mastectomy was performed. Socially, the group with PBS was dominated by women with an occupation outside the home. The psychological examination showed that the group with PBS had a definite predominance of women with a severely damaged body image and impaired sexual function in comparison to the group without PBS. However, the predominance did not reach a statistically significant level. Sexual identity, anxiety, affective disorder or changes in close family relationships did not reveal any distinct pattern. In our opinion, the appearance of PBS should be seen in relation to complex psychological reactions to the mastectomy.