Back to 2026 Abstracts
Optimal Timing of BREAST-Q Administration in Autologous Breast Reconstruction: A Meta-Analysis
Emanuella Brito
*1, Georgia A. Babb
1, Isabel Bernal
1, Aarti Sahai
, James Gaston
1, Jeffrey A. Ascherman
1, Martin Newman
2, Graham S. Schwarz
11Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH; 2Cleveland Clinic Florida, Weston, FL
Background- Optimal timing of BREAST-Q assessment after autologous breast reconstruction remains unclear. We evaluated longitudinal recovery of BRAST-Q scores among autologous reconstruction patients and compared immediate versus delayed reconstruction.
Methods- PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane were searched following PRISMA guidelines. Random-effects meta-regression assessed scores at baseline, 1-6, 12-24, and 36-60 months, with stratified and interaction analyses by reconstruction timing.
Results- Thirty-five studies comprising 7,046 patients were analyzed. Longer follow-up was associated with improved Satisfaction with Breasts (β=0.41 points/month, p<0.001), Psychosocial (β=0.30, p<0.001), Sexual (β=0.23, p<0.001), and Chest Physical Well-being (β=0.15, p=0.049). Satisfaction with Breasts improved from baseline to 1-6 months (+8.4, p=0.002) and from 1-6 to 12-24 months (+8.7, p<0.001). Psychosocial and Sexual Well-being also improved from 1-6 to 12-24 months (+7.9, p=0.007; +7.5, p=0.025). Chest Physical Well-being declined initially (−8.0, p=0.024) but recovered by 12-24 months (+8.7, p=0.009), whereas Abdominal Physical Well-being declined early (−15.1, p<0.001) without recovery. Immediate reconstruction had higher baseline scores, but most postoperative differences resolved. Delayed reconstruction had higher Sexual Well-being at 1-6 (+10.1, p=0.002) and 12-24 months (+6.3, p=0.007) and higher Psychosocial Well-being at 36-60 months (+7.1, p=0.009), whereas immediate reconstruction had higher late Chest Physical Well-being (+20.1, p=0.007). Overall trajectories were comparable.
Conclusion- BREAST-Q outcomes improve substantially during the first two postoperative years and then stabilize, although abdominal well-being may remain below baseline. Immediate and delayed reconstruction demonstrate comparable trajectories, supporting assessment through 12-24 months to capture postoperative changes across domains.
Back to 2026 Abstracts
