Impact of mastectomy on women's self-estems

Objective: To analyze the impacts of mastectomy on the self-esteem of women who have cancer and who attend a high complexity hospital. Method: This is a descriptive-qualitative study conducted in a reference hospital in oncology Teresina-PI. For data analysis, the Collective Subject Discourse (CSD) method was used. Results: It was verified through the speeches, how much breast removal interferes with female self-esteem. And despite the painful process that mastectomy causes to the physical and psychological aspects of women, it is possible to observe that they position themselves positively to treatment, turning to the thought of healing and reestablishing health. As for the main feelings experienced by the women in the study, there were feelings of appreciation of life, for the victory of having taken the tumor. Conclusion: Most women reacted to the diagnosis of breast cancer and its treatment negatively, referring moments of fragility, fear and insecurity.