Bristol breast cancer DVD for patients facing surgery

Women with breast cancer can learn more about the options available to them through a DVD that has been put together in Bristol.

Patients who have been through reconstructive surgery as a result of the disease have shared their experiences of the procedure to help newly-diagnosed women make decisions about their care.

It is thought to be the first time a DVD has been used to help breast cancer patients understand the options available to them.

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women, affecting one in nine women at some point during their lives.

Women are given the option of a breast reconstruction at the same time as mastectomy, which means they sometimes have to make a decision about whether they have the additional surgery, and the type of reconstruction, fairly swiftly.

Consultants can give patients all the facts about surgery and the options available.

The DVD features the personal accounts of 22 women who have been through the process and can explain how it has affected them.

The DVD, You are Not Alone, was developed in collaboration with the Bristol Breast Unit at University Hospitals Bristol, led by consultant surgeon Mr Zen Rayter, and the Breast Reconstruction Quality of Life Group led by consultant senior lecturer Dr Zoe Winters who works at the unit.

It has been produced by Riverhouse Productions and was funded by Bristol charities, Above and Beyond and Abreast.

Among the women interviewed for the DVD was Judith Tainton, from Nailsea, who was thrilled with the results of her surgery in December 2001, and does not even think twice about swimming and undressing in changing rooms.

Shelley Potter, clinical research fellow at Bristol University and one of the producers of the DVD, said: “This is the first time that patient for patient information provision has been used in a clinical setting in this way and we are incredibly excited at what we believe to be a genuine advance in patient care and information provision.

“No matter how good healthcare professionals are at giving information, they have generally not experienced a diagnosis of cancer or the decisions patients are facing – the women in the DVD have.

“They have been there, seen it, done it. They can give meaningful advice from experience and can also give an overwhelming message of hope.”

Many forms of breast reconstruction are available, but reconstruction using skin and muscle from the back, with or without a silicone implant, is most likely to be offered in the UK.

On the DVD, former patients talk about their decisions to either have the surgery at the same time as their mastectomy, or wait until their treatment is over.

DVDs covering other forms of reconstruction will follow if this project is successful.

The Breast Reconstruction Quality of Life Group is now looking for funding for a website to help guide women through the process of deciding on surgery, featuring video clips of former patients.