It is important for patients to understand that often in the most hostile soft tissue environments there may still be possibilities for breast cancer reconstruction. With adequate interval decolonization of mastectomy pockets, time, appropriate nutrition, appropriate tissue expander or implant size selection, and hyperbaric oxygen we can often improve upon a patients reconstruction. Breast cancer reconstruction is a challenging field…
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Breast cancer and breast cancer reconstruction can be challenging to treat, reconstruct, and manage. There are however, many different options available to patients to reconstruct the breast. The mastectomy operation in itself can significantly devascularize the skin of the chest wall. Placing tissue expanders at the time of mastectomy can often lead to cellulitis…
Bilateral mastectomy is a common procedure to treat breast cancer. Occasionally, if a patient has breast cancer in one breast, they may opt to undergo a prophylactic mastectomy on the other breast. In a patient who has breast ptosis or a droopy breast, it may be difficult to try to spare the nipple areola complex. In patient with ptotic breasts,…
Breast cancer can be successfully treated with lumpectomy and oncoplastic reconstruction. Lumpectomy is often accompanied with radiation therapy that begins six weeks after surgery. Radiation is tolerated differently in patients who have undergone mastectomy and those who have undergone lumpectomy. The lumpectomy skin has much better blood supply than the mastectomy blood supply. The photograph demonstrates before and after right…
Breast caner can be successfully treated with lumpectomy, radiation, and oncoplastic reconstruction. When genetic testing such as BRCA-1 is negative and when tumors are “smaller” relative to the size of the breast, breast cancer and the reconstruction can be accomplished with lumpectomy and radiation. In lumpectomy and oncoplastic reconstruction, the skin over the tumor is often removed to clear the…
It is important for patients with breast cancer to be patient when tissue expanders are in place. Tissue expanders are temporary and will be exchanged when implants are placed. Tissue expanders have a firmer silicone elastomer shell and are filled with saline during the expansion process. Tissue expanders help fill the dead space after a mastectomy and can help control…
Breast cancer can be treated with mastectomy. Often when a woman has breast cancer, she would like to proceed with a bilateral mastectomy, which is the removal of both breasts. Bilateral mastectomy can be done if cancer is in both breasts, or, if the patient would like to remove the other breast prophylactically. In a patient with ptotic breast, it…
There are many ways to reconstruct the breast following mastectomy. One way to reconstruct the breast which lasts the lifetime of the patient is the deep inferior epigastric artery perforator (DIEP) flap. In DIEP flap breast reconstruction, the skin and fat from the abdomen is harvested along with the deep inferior epigastric artery and vein and transferred to the chest…
Breast cancer is often treated with lumpectomy and radiation therapy. Without an implant, lumpectomy and radiation is often tolerated very well. When an implant is positioned in the radiated pocket, there is a higher incidence of capsular contracture. Capsular contracture is an exaggerated response of the body’s healing system. When an implant is placed in the body, a lining or…
One of the most common questions that we receive from patients in consultation, is “Can I have my breast reconstructed after a lumpectomy and radiation therapy?”. The answer to this question is “yes”. However, the degree to which breast tissue can be rearranged might be limited, but there are definitely options. Radiation tends to cause capsular contracture when an implant…
