Arlington Heights, Ill. — Now that lumpectomy is the most common type of breast-cancer surgery, post-lumpectomy cosmetic procedures are becoming commonplace as well, reports news source Medical News Today.
According to an article published in the April issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, while a benefit of the surgery is that only part of the breast is removed, a drawback is that the breast may look “dented” or uneven post-surgery. The article discusses advances plastic surgeons have made in breast reconstruction to repair the damage left when cancer is removed.
Medical News Today quotes Sumner Slavin, M.D., the article’s co-author, as saying, “Although breast conversation therapies are a huge advance in the treatment of breast cancer, women are still concerned about how their breast will look after surgery. Women are often left with portions of their breasts removed, and there are currently no implants that can address this unique cosmetic issue.”
The article examines cosmetic advances such as nipple-sparing mastectomy, deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flaps and acellular dermis graft slings, noting that these are options for women who require a full mastectomy or who opt for preventative mastectomy due to a family history of breast cancer.
“Many women don’t know the full scope of their reconstructive options or are intimidated to ask,” Medical News Today quotes Dr. Slavin as saying. “For breast cancer patients, even though they are living through the anguish of cancer, there are reconstructive procedures that will improve their quality of life and reduce the negative long-term impact of the disease and its treatment.”
