<![CDATA[Background: Breast cancer is a chronic non-communicable disease with the highest number of patients in Indonesia. Mastectomy remains a commonly used treatment approach. Physical changes that occur in post-mastectomy patients can affect self-concept, especially body image. Body image disorders are a challenge for nurses because the impact of body image disorders is more likely to disturb the patient's psychological condition, which can reduce the patient's quality of life. The purpose of this study was to describe body image in post-mastectomy breast cancer patients. Methods: We conducted a descriptive, cross-sectional pilot study to summarize baseline characteristics using prevalence and percentages. Ninety-eight post-mastectomy patients attending outpatient follow-up at an oncology polyclinic made up the sample. Body image was assessed using the Body Image Scale (BIS). Results: A total of 98 post-mastectomy breast cancer patients participated in this study, most of whom were in the late elderly age group (> 56 years, 35.7%), Muslim (84.7%), housewives (52.1%), and had received a combination of surgery and chemotherapy (74.5%). The majority were classified as stage 2 (47.9%) or stage 3 (44.8%) cancer, with an illness duration of less than 6 months (41.8%) in most cases, and were primarily accompanied by a husband or wife (73.4%). Regarding body image, the majority of respondents (84.6%) reported a moderate level, followed by high (6.1%), low (5.1%), very low (2.1%), and very high (2.1%) levels. Conclusions: These findings suggest a need for targeted interventions addressing moderate-level body image concerns. Nurses and other health professionals could consider offering psychotherapy and complementary therapeutic approaches to support these patients. ]]>
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