Patient-Reported Outcome Measures Used for Assessing Breast Sensation after Mastectomy: Not Fit for Purpose

Hansje P. Smeele, Rachel C. H. Dijkstra, Merel L. Kimman, René R. W. J. Hulst and Stefania M. H. Tuinder ()
Additional contact information
Hansje P. Smeele: Maastricht University Medical Center
Rachel C. H. Dijkstra: Maastricht University Medical Center
Merel L. Kimman: Maastricht University Medical Center
René R. W. J. Hulst: Maastricht University Medical Center
Stefania M. H. Tuinder: Maastricht University Medical Center

The Patient: Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, 2022, vol. 15, issue 4, No 5, 435-444

Abstract: Abstract AIMS The aims of this review were (i) to evaluate whether patient-reported outcome measures used in clinical studies for assessing sensation after mastectomy and breast reconstruction are suitable for this purpose, and (ii) to explore whether any measures used for assessing sensation after non-oncologic breast surgery are worth modifying for use in post-mastectomy patients. Methods PRISMA guidelines were followed (PROSPERO number CRD42020178066). We searched six databases for studies of oncologic (i.e., therapeutic, prophylactic, and reconstructive) and non-oncologic breast surgery (e.g., breast reduction) in which sensation was assessed with a patient-reported outcome measure. From the selected studies, we extracted eligible measures, evaluated their fitness for purpose, and summarized the content of sensation-specific items. Results Of 6728 articles identified, we selected 135 studies that used 124 eligible patient-reported outcome measures. For 97% of these measures, details regarding development and measurement properties were unavailable. Four (3%) validated measures—the Sensory Disturbances subscale of the Breast Cancer Sequelae Cause Scales, the Discomfort subscale of the Breast Sensation Assessment Scale (BSAS), Didier et al.’s questionnaire for “Assessment of the patients’ satisfaction with cosmetic results, physical and emotional impact of mastectomy”, and the Breast Specific Pain subscale of the Breast Cancer Treatment Outcomes Scale (BCTOS)—each contain at least one item pertaining to breast sensation, but target different concepts of interest. In total, the measures feature 215 sensation-specific items, most of which concern symptom severity (97%) as opposed to impact on daily functioning (3%). Conclusion Patient-reported outcome measures used in clinical studies for assessing sensation after mastectomy and breast reconstruction are unsuitable for this purpose: they are either non-validated or non-specific. We failed to identify any measures for use in non-oncologic breast surgery populations worth modifying. To collect meaningful, patient-relevant data regarding sensation after mastectomy, it is pertinent that future clinical trials adopt psychometrically robust, specific patient-reported outcome measures.

Date: 2022
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s40271-021-00565-5 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:patien:v:15:y:2022:i:4:d:10.1007_s40271-021-00565-5

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/economics/journal/40271

DOI: 10.1007/s40271-021-00565-5

Access Statistics for this article

The Patient: Patient-Centered Outcomes Research is currently edited by Christopher I. Carswell

More articles in The Patient: Patient-Centered Outcomes Research from Springer, International Academy of Health Preference Research
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().