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Writer's pictureKathleen Lisson

What has changed over the last ten years of breast cancer reconstruction?



In the article 'A Decade of Nipple-Sparing Mastectomy: Lessons Learned in 3035 Immediate Implant-Based Breast Reconstructions,' surgeons from Massachusetts General Hospital shared information on a retrospective review of over 3,000 implant based reconstructions.


They noted the following evolutions in practice over the last decade:


  • From skin-reducing to skin-sparing and nipple-sparing procedures with improved skin flap vascularity

  • From subcutaneous mastectomies to modern nipple-sparing procedures remove the duct bundle from the nipple, thus decreasing risks of breast cancer recurrence

  • From total muscle coverage to partial muscle coverage

  • From bilateral mastectomy procedures to unilateral

  • From paper-thin skin flaps to thicker and better-perfused mastectomy skin flaps with or without nipple preservation

  • The rise of using ADM to control the breast pocket


What makes breast reconstruction riskier? The authors state that "radiation therapy, smoking, and incision choice predicted overall complications and nipple necrosis" and “periareolar incision was associated with higher risks of nipple necrosis and complications”



Read the article here: 

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