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OBJECTIVE: Fertility and childbearing issues are the major quality of life concerns among young breast cancer survivors. Practical approaches are needed to convey reproductive health information. The Fertility and Cancer Project (FCP) is a dedicated research project that provides online reproductive health and fertility education. We report FCP participants' (a) changes in mood and functioning and (b) changes in knowledge of fertility and cancer from baseline to 6-month follow-up.

METHODS: Participants completed five self-report baseline measures, accessed FCP content and participated in online discussions. At 6 months post FCP study entry, participants were asked to complete follow-up self-reports.

OBJECTIVES: Women taking tamoxifen experience hot flashes and night sweats (HF&NS); acupuncture may offer a nonpharmaceutical method of management. This study explored whether traditional acupuncture (TA) could reduce HF&NS frequency, improve physical and emotional well-being, and improve perceptions of HF&NS.

DESIGN/SETTINGS/LOCATION: This was a single-arm observational study using before and after measurements, located in a National Health Service cancer treatment center in southern England. SUBJECTS: Fifty (50) participants with early breast cancer completed eight TA treatments. Eligible women were >= 35 years old, >= 6 months post active cancer treatment, taking tamoxifen >= 6 months, and self-reporting >= 4 HF&NS incidents/24 hours for >= 3 months.

INTERVENTIONS: Participants received weekly individualized TA treatment using a core standardized protocol for treating HF&NS in natural menopause.

OBJECTIVE: Many young breast cancer survivors experience menopausal symptoms and feel concerned about infertility due to oncologic treatment. However, there has been little research to date comparing young survivors' concerns and symptoms with those of young women of the same age and gravidity in the general population.

METHODS: We surveyed breast cancer survivors with regular menses after adjuvant chemotherapy and compared them with age-matched, gravidity-matched controls as part of a study to evaluate the effects of chemotherapy on ovarian reserve. All survivors were 1 year or more from diagnosis of early-stage breast cancer, without evidence of recurrence. The survey assessed menopausal symptoms and infertility concerns.

BACKGROUND: Unfulfilled expectations can lead to patient dissatisfaction with surgical outcomes. Understanding expectations allows surgeons to identify those patients who hold inaccurate expectations preoperatively, and to reset those expectations through focused preoperative education. The purpose of this study was to investigate preoperative expectations of women undergoing implant breast reconstruction. Identifying inaccurate or unfulfilled expectations is a critical step toward the advancement of preoperative education and subsequently improving patient satisfaction with surgical outcomes.

Recovery of body image after mastectomy is essential for physical and mental quality of life. Partial or total mastectomy deformities can be reversed by reconstructive surgical procedures. Young women with breast cancer have specific characteristics related to the age of onset of the disease, prognosis and reconstructive expectations. Patient individualization is the key to a successful breast reconstruction. Autologous and prosthetic reconstruction are the two main techniques used for breast reconstruction. Each reconstructive technique has its own indications, advantages and limitations. Timing of the surgery is primarily determined by the requirement for adjuvant radiotherapy, so an immediate or a delayed approach can be recommended. In patients in whom the need for adjuvant radiotherapy is in doubt, a delayed-immediate approach is the best to optimize aesthetic and oncologic outcomes. Prophylactic mastectomy is also being indicated in a growing number of patients.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify factors contributing

  to a successful return to the labour market after treatment for breast

  cancer from the women's own perspective. The study is based on 16

  narratives - open-ended, in-depth interviews - about women's experiences

  and thoughts from the period after breast cancer surgery when they focused

  on their return to work. The women were recruited from participants of a

  multicentre trial, which allowed comparisons across a range of adjuvant

  therapies. The narratives of women who worked full time at a cut-off point

  of 1 year after surgery are analysed separately from the narratives of

  women still sick-listed at that point of time. The findings show that

  while all the women strove to belong to the labour market, the study also

  reveals changes in women's perceptions of the value of employment. The