OBJECTIVE More than 80% of women with breast cancer survive for more than 5 years; quality of life is an important issue in these patients. The aim of this study was to assess differences in quality of life among patients who have undergone breast-conserving surgery, total mastectomy and immediate reconstruction after total mastectomy. METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted during foll...

1. Plastic Surgeon, full member of Sociedade Brasileira de Cirurgia Plástica (Brazilian Society of Plastic Surgery – SBCP), Regent of the Plastic Surgery Service of the Armed Forces Hospital, Brasilia, DF, Brazil. 2. Plastic Surgery Resident at the Daher Lago Sul Hospital, Brasilia, DF, Brazil. 3. Plastic Surgeon, Associate Member of SBCP, Brasilia, DF, Brazil. ABSTRACT Introduction: Breast can...

BACKGROUND Advances in autologous breast reconstruction continue to mount and have been fueled most substantially with refinement of perforator flap techniques. METHODS For patients with a desire for autogenous breast reconstruction and insufficient abdominal fat for conventional abdominal flaps, secondary options such as gluteal perforator flaps or latissimus flaps are usually considered. Pa...

OBJECTIVE To prospectively evaluate the psychosocial outcomes and body image of patients 2 years postmastectomy reconstruction using a multicenter, multisurgeon approach. BACKGROUND Although breast reconstruction has been shown to confer significant psychosocial benefits in breast cancer patients at year 1 postreconstruction, we considered the possibility that psychosocial outcomes may remain...

PURPOSE Breast volume assessment is one of the most important steps during implant-based breast reconstruction because it is critical in selecting implant size. According to previous studies, there is a close relationship between the mastectomy specimen weight and resected breast volume. The aim of this study was to evaluate long-term patient satisfaction with implant-based breast reconstructio...

BACKGROUND Although many plastic surgeons perform autologous fat grafting (lipofilling) for breast reconstruction after oncologic surgery, it has not been established whether postoncologic lipofilling increases the risk of breast cancer recurrence. The authors assessed the risk of locoregional and systemic recurrence in patients who underwent lipofilling for breast reconstruction. METHODS The...

BACKGROUND A large, multicenter, 10-year observational study is comparing the long-term safety and effectiveness of Natrelle silicone breast implants versus saline implants or national norms. METHODS Women who underwent primary augmentation, revision-augmentation, primary reconstruction, or revision-reconstruction were invited to participate. Enrolled subjects had completed surgery and receiv...

Breast reconstruction after mastectomy should aim at resulting in an aesthetic outcome that matches the patient’s expectations and without interfering in the oncologic treatment. Whether the reconstruction is performed immediately or in a delayed fashion depends on various factors, which needs detailed attention. Autologous tissue, implants or both are used in the reconstruction. This article r...

Breast cancer is one of the most common diseases treated by general and plastic surgeons. Reconstruction of the breast began in the 1960s with the invention of the silicone breast implant. Since then, breast reconstruction has undergone an evolution. It is possible to add a woman’s own tissue to enhance an implant reconstruction, as in the latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap, but often autologou...

IMPORTANCE Most women undergoing mastectomy for breast cancer do not undergo breast reconstruction. OBJECTIVE To examine correlates of breast reconstruction after mastectomy and to determine if a significant unmet need for reconstruction exists. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS We used Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registries from Los Angeles, California, and Detroit, Michiga...