Cancer
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Eighty-nine patients were studied for the incidence and nature of phantom breast sensations (PBS) after a modified mastectomy. Twenty-nine (33%) reported experiencing pain or itching in the breast or the more vague sensation that the breast was still present. Phantom breast sensations appeared generally within the first 3 postoperative months. ⋯ The occurrence of PBS was not related to left or right mastectomy, radiotherapy, adjuvant chemotherapy, having a sexual partner, or a history of lactation. At the time of operation, women who later developed PBS generally were younger, premenopausal, more often had children, and had a preoperative history of breast sensations. Before the modified mastectomy, these four factors could be used to indicate the probability at which the woman would develop PBS.