ORIGINAL ARTICLES   

Chirurgia 2015 October;28(5):177-81

Copyright © 2015 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Role of immediate breast reconstruction in patients with breast cancer requiring postmastectomy radiation therapy

Serra R. ^{1, 2}, Abonante S. ³, Stumpo M. ³, Miglietta A. M. ³, Buffone G. ¹, Renne M. ¹, Butrico L. ¹, Perri P. ¹, Grande R. ¹, De Franciscis S. ^{1, 2}

¹ Department of Surgical and Medical Sciences, Magna Graecia University of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy; ² Interuniversity Center of Phlebolymphology (CIFL), Magna Graecia University of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy; ³ Department of Senology, Regional Hospital of Cosenza, Catanzaro, Italy

AIM: A large number of women with breast cancer (BC) undergo mastectomy which continues to be the mainstay of treatment. Immediate breast reconstruction (IBR) is being offered to women at the time of mastectomy according to characteristics and preference of patients, stage of disease and adjuvant therapies. We wanted to evaluate the outcomes of IBR in patients scheduled for post mastectomy radiation therapy (PMRT).
METHODS: In a three year period 114 female patients with BC and indications for PMRT (age range 35-76; median age 49) were treated with skin sparing mastectomy with immediate nipple and breast reconstruction. The median follow up was 24.2 months.
RESULTS: Only 6.14% of patients had local recurrence, and 7.89% of patients had a breast reconstruction failures. There were a 4.8% and a 2.95% respectively of immediate and late complication rate. Aesthetic outcome of procedure was judged as positive (excellent/good) in 85.09% of cases.
CONCLUSION: IBR, when PMRT is required, is supposed not to be the most appropriate treatment for the risk of an inferior aesthetic results and more complications even though most women requires it. However, the demand of IBR is ever increasing as well as surgical reconstructive techniques and adjuvant BC management have improved. Our study showed that IBR in patients who underwent PMRT gave very good results.