Impact of port site scar on perception of patients with breast cancer: patient-reported outcomes.
PURPOSE
As the number of survivors continues to increase with improvements in breast cancer treatment, greater emphasis has been placed on the aesthetic outcome following breast surgery. Effort is made to minimize scarring on the breast, yet patients who require a port for treatment inevitably have a scar on the upper chest from the port itself. We hypothesized that patients with breast cancer are conscious of their port scars, and if given a choice would prefer placement of the port in the arm rather than the chest.


METHODS
Female breast cancer patients treated at our Breast Center who had a port placed from 2009 to 2015 were asked to complete a 20-question, anonymous survey via SurveyMonkey® reporting demographics and treatment information, and a validated Patient Scar Assessment Questionnaire (PSAQ).


RESULTS
Of 139 identified, 105 had email information available for contact, and 67 (64%) patients responded. Of the 67, 37 (55%) had undergone arm placement and 30 (45%), chest. Sixty (92%) patients report noticing their scars; 44 (69%) believed that their scar was noticeable to others; and 22 of the 44 (50%) made an effort to hide their scar. Thirty-seven patients were offered options for port site placement, and 24 (65%) chose placement in the arm (p = 0.057).


CONCLUSION
Most patients are conscious of their port scars and if offered the choice choose placement in the arm rather than the chest. Upper extremity port placement should be further explored as an alternative approach for patients with breast cancer to improve port scar consciousness.
['Voci|Amy|A|', 'Lee|David|D|', 'Ho|Emily|E|', 'Crane-Okada|Rebecca|R|', 'DiNome|Maggie|M|http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1926-292X']
D000328:Adult D000368:Aged D000369:Aged, 80 and over D001943:Breast Neoplasms D002921:Cicatrix D005260:Female D006801:Humans D008875:Middle Aged D000071066:Patient Reported Outcome Measures D017060:Patient Satisfaction D010465:Perception D012189:Retrospective Studies D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
Port site scar Patient-reported outcomes Chemotherapy for breast cancer Vascular access