Breast Reconstruction After Radiation And Mastectomy Pictures

For some women with breast cancer, the decision between a lumpectomy and a mastectomy is a crucial one. The choice to have a lumpectomy means that the breast will be removed and reconstructed with tissue from another part of the body. The tissue used is typically muscle or fat, but it can also be skin or cartilage. In some cases, the surgeon will use mesh (collagen) to create a new breast mound.

The best time for breast reconstruction after radiation therapy is typically at least six months after the completion of radiation treatment. While a tissue expander may be placed at the time of the mastectomy, it is recommended to wait until the effects of radiation have subsided before proceeding with implant placement or a flap procedure. This allows for better healing and reduces the risk of complications. By waiting until the body has had time to recover from radiation, the chances of a successful and aesthetically pleasing reconstruction are greatly improved. Consulting with a plastic surgeon who specializes in post-radiation breast reconstruction can help determine the best timing for the procedure.

Have a great read in this article, where we answer questions like new breast reconstruction techniques and breast reconstruction after cancer, What factors can affect the timing of breast reconstruction, and lots more

While each woman’s experience with this procedure will be different, there are some common things that occur post-surgery:

• Pain: This is often treated with medication; however, if you have an issue with pain, you should speak with your doctor immediately.

What is breast reconstruction?

Does breast reconstruction affect the ability to check for breast cancer recurrence?

Studies have shown that breast reconstruction does not increase the chances of breast cancer coming back or make it harder to check for recurrence with mammography (13).

WThere will still be mammograms of the other breast for women who have had a mastectomy on one breast.Women who have had a skin-sparing mastectomy or who are at high risk of breast cancer recurrence may have mammograms of the reconstructed breast if it was reconstructed using autologous tissue. However, mammograms are generally not performed on breasts that are reconstructed with an implant after mastectomy.

A woman with a breast implant should tell the radiology technician about her implant before she has a mammogram. Special procedures may be necessary to improve the accuracy of the mammogram and to avoid damaging the implant.

More information about mammograms can be found in the NCI fact sheet Mammograms.

What are some new developments in breast reconstruction after mastectomy?

• Oncoplastic surgery. In general, women who have lumpectomy or partial mastectomy for early-stage breast cancer do not have reconstruction. However, for some of these women the surgeon may use plastic surgery techniques to reshape the breast at the time of cancer surgery. This type of breast-conserving surgery, called oncoplastic surgery, may use local tissue rearrangement, reconstruction through breast reduction surgery, or transfer of tissue flaps. Long-term outcomes of this type of surgery are comparable to those for standard breast-conserving surgery (14).
• Autologous fat grafting. A newer type of breast reconstruction technique involves the transfer of fat tissue from one part of the body (usually the thighs, abdomen, or buttocks) to the reconstructed breast. In order to inject the liquified fat tissue into the target area, liposuction must first extract the fat tissue. Fat grafting is mainly used to correct deformities and asymmetries that may appear after breast reconstruction. It is also sometimes used to reconstruct an entire breast. Although concern has been raised about the lack of long-term outcome studies, this technique is considered safe (1,6).

Breast Reconstruction Reviewed by 7 medical advisers You may have had or are about to have a mastectomy, either because you’ve been diagnosed with breast cancer or are at very high risk of developing it in the future. If so, your doctor may have told you about options to rebuild your breast or breasts — a surgery called breast reconstruction. Typically, breast reconstruction takes place during or soon after mastectomy, and in some cases, lumpectomy. Breast reconstruction can also be done many months or even years after mastectomy or lumpectomy.

During reconstruction, a plastic surgeon creates a breast shape using an artificial implant (implant reconstruction), a flap of tissue from another place on your body (autologous reconstruction), or both. Whatever your age, relationship status, sexual activity, or orientation, you can’t predict how you will react to losing a breast. It’s normal to feel anxious, uncertain, sad, and mournful about giving up a part of your body that was one of the hallmarks of becoming a woman: a significant part of your sexuality, what made you look good in clothes, how you might have fed your babies. No one can ever take that away from you. Moving forward, you now have the opportunity to determine what you want to have happen next. But first you must do some careful thinking and delving into your feelings in order to figure out what is best for you. In this section, we’ll talk you through each of the reconstruction options, what’s involved, and any risks, as well as alternatives to reconstruction.

Asking yourself some questions can help you start to think about what type of reconstruction you want — if you want reconstruction at all: How important is rebuilding your breast to you? Can you live with a breast form that you take off and put on? Will breast reconstruction help you to feel whole again? Are you OK with having more surgery for breast reconstruction after a mastectomy or lumpectomy? It’s also important to know that while breast reconstruction rebuilds the shape of the breast, it doesn’t restore sensation to the breast or the nipple. Over time, the skin over the reconstructed breast can become more sensitive to touch, but it won’t be exactly the same as it was before surgery.